SAMANTHA 

^CHILDRENS 
RIGHTS 

By  JOStAH  ALLEN'S  WIFE 

l*>«^'™ 


I 

- 


. 

• 


TOR  FIVE  DATS   HE   WUZ   SHET   UP   IN   HIS   BOOM    AND   KEP'   ON   BREAD   AND 
WATBR. 

Frontispiece.    Page  18. 


SAMANTHA 


ON 


CHILDREN'S   RIGHTS 


BY 

JOSIAH  ALLEN'S  WIFE 

(MARIETTA  HOLLEY) 

AUTHOR  OF  "SAMANTHA  AT  THE   ST.  Louis   EXPOSITION/'  "ABOUND   THB 
WORLD  WITH  JOSIAH  ALLEN'S  WIFE/'  "SAMANTHA  AT  SARATOGA/'  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATIONS    BY 
CHARLES  GRUNWALD 


G.  W.  DILLINGHAM  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1909,  by 

G.   W.   DlLLlNGHAM  COMPANY 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 


SRLF 

URL 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGK 

1 7 

II 20 

III 40 

IV 60 

V 77 

VI 91 

VII J06 

Vffl J23 

IX 137 

X J49 

XI 161 

XII J7J 

Xm 182 

XIV 195 

XV 212 

XVI 224 

XVH 233 

XVm 23S 

XIX 256 

XX 270 

XXI 283 

XXII 287 

XXIII 295 

XXIV..  308 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

For  five  days  he  wuz  shet  up  in  his  room  and  kep'  on  bread 

and  water        ......      Frontispiece     18 

And  then  all   three  on   'em  yelled    out:    "Rubber    neck! 

Rubberneck!" 49 

The  mair  sot  off  back  to  Jonesville,  my  pardner  runnin'  after 

her  as  he  still  had  holt  of  the  lines        .        .        .        .110 

She  wuz  whippin'  little  Kate,  her  face  all  swelled  up  with 

what  she  called  religious  principle         ;        .        .         .157 

I  went  up  into  the  room  and  helped  him  ondress,  and  hearn 

him  tell  his  prayers 220 

I  drawed  him  away  at  a  good  jog  and  walked  him  into  what 

I  thought  wuz  a  place  of  safety 254 


SAMANTHA  ON  CHILDREN'S 
RIGHTS 

ACK  has  got  a  middlin'  round  face,  with 
eyes  of  dark  blue.  A  sort  of  mornin'  glory 
blue,  and  at  times  they  are  big,  that  is 
when  he  is  wonderin'  over  sunthin',  or  has 
found  out  sunthin'.  And  at  times  they  will 
be  sort  o'  half  shet  up,  like  mornin'  glories  when  the  sun 
is  too  hot.  Then  is  the  time  when  he  has  been  wilted  by 
Hamen  and  his  wife.  The  fresh,  vigorous  desire  for 
knowledge  born  in  him,  onbeknown  to  himself,  jest  as 
the  freshness  of  the  mornin*  glories  wuz  born  in  them, 
withered  and  too  hardly  sot  down  on  by  the  searchin* 
rays  of  misapprehension,  ridicule,  etc.,  etc. 

When  he  wuz  a  little  bit  of  a  fellow  he  would  always 
shet  his  eyes  when  he  wuz  scolded,  for  half  an  hour  at 
a  time,  and  walk  round  with  'em  shet.  It  seemed  as 
if  he  wuz  some  disgusted  with  the  world,  and  wanted 
to  lose  sight  on't  for  a  spell.  Now  he  about  half  shets 
'em  when  he  is  mortified. 

His  hair  is  curly  at  the  ends,  it  is  brown,  some  like 
the  deep  shinin'  brown  you  have  seen  in  trout  brooks, 
and  where  the  curls  kinder  crinkle  up  a  streak  of  gold 
runs  through  'em.  His  forward  is  broad  and  pretty 
middlin'  white,  and  high  enough,  plenty  high  enough, 
and  the  hair  hangs  down  in  little  short  curls  over  it  the 
most  of  the  time. 


8  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

Tamer  Ann,  that's  his  Ma,  don't  like  it,  she  wants  it 
brushed  back  tight  to  show  his  intellect,  and  nags  at 
Jack  because  he  don't  keep  it  back.  Sez  she  in  a  very 
cross  tone: 

"  Folks  will  think  you  hain't  got  any  intellect  at  all 
if  they  see  your  hair  all  over  your  forward." 

And  I  sez,  "  I  wouldn't  worry,  Tamer  Ann,  if  the  in- 
tellect is  there  it  will  work  out,  hair  or  no  hair,  and  if 
it  hain't  there  no  amount  of  plasterin'  the  hair  back 
will  show  it  off— I've  seen  it  tried."  Sez  I  in  a  milder 
tone,  seein'  she  looked  kinder  mad: 

"  I've  seen  hair  brushed  back  straight  from  the  for- 
ward so's  to  give  a  free  pass  to  the  intellect,  and  left 
long  on  the  neck  to  entice  it  out,  but  it  wouldn't  appear, 
for  the  reason  it  wuzn't  there.  Don't  you  worry  about 
Jack,  Tamer  Ann,  you'll  find  his  intellect  will  push  its 
way  through  them  curls— I  hain't  a  mite  afraid  on't. 

"  And  at  the  same  time,  Jack,"  sez  I,  for  Duty  is  my 
companion  and  I  f oiler  her  blindly,  "  you  must  try  to 
mind  your  Ma  and  keep  the  curls  back." 

Jack  laughed  and  run  his  hand  through  'em  and  put 
'em  back.  Jack  always  minds  me,  or,  that  is,  most 
always. 

Now  I  don't  always  mind  the  Higher  Teacher,  I  don't 
always  set  the  stitches  right  in  the  great  sampler  that 
is  hung  up  before  me  from  day  to  day.  It  is  a  true  re- 
mark that  wuz  once  made  at  a  conference  meetin'  that 
11  We  often  leave  ondone  the  things  that  ort  to  be  done, 
and  do  the  things  that  we  hadn't  ort.  Then  why  should 
I  be  hard  on  Jack  when  occasionally,  very  occasionally, 
mind  you,  he  don't  do  exactly  as  he  ort,  or  duz  as  he 
ortn't." 

You  see  our  Heavenly  Father  tells  us  what  to  do,  He 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  9 

has  told  us  once  for  all  in  the  divine  book,  and  then  He 
wrops  himself  in  the  Everlastin'  Silence  and  leaves  us 
to  our  own  convictions,  our  own  sense  of  duty  to  Him. 
He  makes  us  afraid  to  disobey  Him.  His  love  constrains 
us,  our  sense  of  duty  holds  us  (a  good  deal  of  the  time) 
and  we  try  (some  of  the  time)  to  do  right  for  the  Bight's 
sake,  and  because  of  the  completeness  and  constancy 
of  the  love  and  tender  pity  broodin'  over  us. 

Now,  I  have  often  wondered  what  we  would  do  if  our 
Heavenly  Father  nagged  at  us  as  some  parents  do  at 
their  children,  if  every  time  we  make  a  miss-step,  or  a 
mistake,  owin'  to  the  blindness  of  our  ignorance,  or 
our  waywardness,  if  He  kep'  naggin'  at  us,  and  bringin' 
us  up  short,  and  threatenin*  us  with  punishment,  and 
twitched  us  about  and  pulled  our  ears,  and  sot  us  down 
in  corners,  and  shet  us  up  in  dark  closets,  and  sent  us 
to  bed  without  our  supperses,  and  told  us  to,  "  Shet  up 
instantly!  "  and  etcetery.  I  wondered  how  long  we 
would  keep  our  love  and  reverence  for  Him. 

Now,  a  father  and  mother  are  to  their  children  the 
controlling  power,  the  visible  Deity  of  their  lives.  They 
stand  in  the  High  Place  in  their  souls.  Let  'em  trem- 
ble and  quail  if  they  don't  hold  that  high  place  rever- 
ently, thoughtfully,  prayerfully.  The  making  or  the 
marring  of  a  life,  a  endless,  immortal  life,  is  in  their 
hands,  let  'em  tremble  at  the  thought. 

Jack's  mouth  is  a  good  natered  one  more'n  half  the 
time,  most  all  the  time,  when  he  is  down  on  the  farm 
with  Josiah  and  me  (he  loves  to  be  there).  It  is  quite 
a  big  mouth,  but  none  too  big,  not  at  all,  with  red  lips, 
the  upper  one  kinder  short,  and  the  ends  curl  up  in  a 
dretful  sort  of  a  laughin',  roguish  way.  But  them  curls 
can  droop  right  down  and  the  lips  quiver  like  a  baby's 


10  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

— IVe  seen  'em.  That  is  when  he  is  nagged  at.  Tamer 
Ann  nags  at  Jack  more'n  half  the  time. 

Jack  loves  his  mother,  and  that  is  why  the  naggin's 
reach  right  through  the  little  blue  jacket  and  touches 
his  heart.  And  the  tremblin'  onhappiness  of  the  heart 
makes  the  blue  eyes  shet  about  half  up  in  a  forlorn  way, 
and  the  red  lips  quiver.  IVe  seen  'em.  Why,  good 
land!  Jack  hain't  much  more  than  a  baby  anyway,  only 
about  six  and  a  half  years  old.  He's  a  stout  little  fel- 
ler, and  most  always  wears  a  dark  blue  cloth  suit  with 
a  little  sailor  hat  sot  kinder  back  on  his  curls  if  he 
puts  it  on  himself.  And  I  don't  want  to  see  a  better 
lookin'  boy  than  Jack  is.  His  father  is  my  cousin  on 
my  own  side. 

Hamen  Archibald  Smith,  old  Elder  Archibald  Smith's 
boy.  Hamen  is  well  off,  he  owns  a  big  farm  and  a 
shingle  mill  up  in  Zoar,  about  seven  miles  from  Jones- 
ville  on  the  old  State  Eoad.  Hamen 's  wife  is  a  female 
he  got  acquainted  with  while  he  wuz  away  to  school 
(Hamen  is  high  learnt).  His  father  sent  him  away  for 
upwards  of  seven  months  to  a  high  school,  and  then  he 
got  acquainted  with  Tamer  Ann  Bodley  and  married 
her.  She  wuz  from  a  high  family,  she  herself  is  over 
six  feet  high  and  spindlin'  in  figger.  She  wuz  to  school 
to  the  same  place.  She  had  been  there  over  nine  weeks 
when  Hamen  got  acquainted  with  her. 

.Their  love  wuz  sudden  and  voyalent,  and  they  married 
at  the  expiration  of  the  term  and  left  school  and  sot  up 
housekeeping  both  of  'em  bein'  high  learnt,  and  havin* 
traveled.  Why,  they  went  over  forty  milds  on  their 
weddin'  tower.  And  the  high  school  where  they  got 
acquainted  wuz  upwards  of  thirty  milds  from  Zoar. 

Havin'  had  all  these  advantages  and  bein'  forehanded, 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  11 

they  naterally  put  on  some  airs,  and  wuz  looked  up  to. 
They  did  make  a  handsome,  high  headed  couple,  I'll 
say  that  for  'em.  Hamen  wuz  about  a  inch  or  a  inch 
and  a  half  taller  than  she  wuz. 

"Well,  how  time  duz  run  along  to  be  sure.  It  don't 
seem  like  a  year  hardly  sence  we  got  the  invitation  to 
the  weddin'  party  Uncle  Archibald  gin  to  the  bride  and 
groom  at  the  old  Smith  house  out  to  Filler  Pint.  And 
now  Hamen 's  oldest  child,  Anna,  is  goin'  on  nineteen 
years  old.  How  time  duz  pass  away!  Why,  I  declare 
for't,  if  it  wuzn't  for  these  great  tall  livin'  mildstuns 
springin'  up  all  along  life's  journey  we  could  hardly  be- 
lieve our  old  family  Bibles,  and  would  deny  our  ages. 

But  these  livin'  mildstuns  can't  be  gone  by,  they 
stand  up  straight  and  tall,  and  we  have  to  stop  and  read 
'em,  and  then  we  see  for  ourselves  how  fur  we  have 
come  on  the  journey  and  how  fast  we  are  approachin* 
the  great  Stoppin'  Place  for  the  Night.  Anna  Smith 
is  a  good  lookin'  mildstun.  She  is  plump  and  fresh 
and  sweet  lookin'.  I  like  Anna  and  Anna  likes  me.  Her 
brother,  next  younger  than  herself,  is  named  Cicero. 
Her  Ma  named  him  after  some  big  man,  old  Captain 
Cicero,  it  seems  to  me  it  wuz,  anyway  he  wuz  a  big 
talker  and  died  some  time  ago. 

Cicero  Smith  is  now  about  fifteen  years  old,  he  is 
dull  complected,  kinder  frosty  and  onwholesome  lookin', 
with  great  big  round  eyes,  kinder  pale  and  wild  lookin', 
some  like  gooseberries.  His  hair  is  thin  and  strings 
down  the  side  of  his  face  like  little  wisps  of  pale  yeller 
straw,  only  of  course  some  finer.  His  hands  always  felt 
kinder  clammy,  and  he  takes  after  his  Ma  in  figger,  tall 
and  scraggly  and  spindlin'. 
I  never  took  to  him  at  all  nor  he  to  me,  he  always  wuz 


12  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

a  indifferent  actin'  chap  even  in  his  cradle.  He'd  turn 
over  in  his  cradle  when  he  wuz  a  infant  and  look  at 
the  rungs  in  the  back  side  on't  when  I  would  try  to 
git  his  attention,  and  I  hain't  never  been  able  to  git  it 
sence.  Jest  as  quick  as  he  wuz  old  enough  to  read  he 
jest  took  to  dime  novels.  His  mother  encouraged  it,  she 
said  it  nourished  a  love  for  readin',  and  would  make 
him  literary.  He  and  his  mother,  I  spoze,  have  read 
more'n  twenty  cords  of  'em  if  they  wuz  corded  up  and 
measured  with  a  yard  stick,  and  most  every  one  on  *em 
yeller  covered  and  harrowin'. 

I  have  told  Tamer  Ann  that  they  wuzn't  good  for 
her  or  Cicero  to  devour  so  much.  But  good  land!  I 
couldn't  move  her  a  inch.  She  kep'  on  readin'  'em  and 
givin'  'em  to  him  to  read,  and  the  more  blood  curdliner 
they  wuz  the  more  they  doted  on  'em.  Why,  I  should 
have  thought  their  blood  would  have  turned  to  ice  in 
their  veins,  and  their  skin  got  thick  as  a  elephant 's  hide 
with  goose  pimples  caused  by  the  borrow  of  'em;  why, 
their  names  wuz  enough  to  skair  anybody  to  death,  let 
alone  readin'  'em.  Anna  never  took  to  'em,  she  seemed 
to  take  after  the  Smiths  more,  so  I  think,  and  Jack  of 
course  hain't  old  enough,  and  I  don't  believe  he'll  ever 
love  'em  anyway. 

Hamen's  brother  lived  at  their  house  when  Jack  wuz 
born,  and  he's  made  it  his  home  with  'em  ever  sence. 
His  name  is  John  Zebulen  Smith,  named  after  old 
Grandpa  Smith. 

And  as  he  wuz  always  called  John,  why,  they  called 
little  John  Jack,  when  he  wuz  a  baby,  to  keep  him  from 
gittin'  mixed  up  with  his  uncle  and  bein'  took  for  him, 
so  he  has  always  gone  by  the  name  of  Jack.  And  Jack 
from  the  first  on't  has  been  a  favorite  of  mine,  a  great 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  13 

favorite.  And  I  always  felt  so  safe  with  him;  I  knew 
he  wouldn't  die  from  bein'  too  good,  as  so  many  little 
Sabbath  school  heroes  do. 

And  yet  he  wuz  always  a  noble  child,  truthful  as  the 
day  wuz  long.  He  would  scorn  to  tell  a  lie,  he  wuz  too 
proud  to.  If  he  had  done  anything  he  would  own  up 
to  it,  most  every  time  he  would.  And  he  had  naterally 
a  religious  mind,  I  believed,  though  sometimes  Josiah 
would  laugh  the  idee  to  scorn  when  Jack  would  git  into 
one  of  his  scrapes.  He  wuz  kinder  lazy  some  of  the 
time,  and  opposition,  onreasonable  opposition,  made  him 
mad,  and  he  would  contend  to  the  last  minute  when 
he  got  to  goin'.  And  he  had  been  fooled  by  Hamenses 
folks  so  much  that  he  had  got  into  the  habit  of  keepin' 
still  and  studyin'  out  things  for  himself.  The  fools! 
they  would  tell  him  such  stories,  lies,  a  purpose  to  keep 
him  wonderin'  and  to  hear  him  talk,  that  he  had  got 
sort  o'  embittered  and  tried  to  rely  on  himself  to  find 
out  strange  things.  It  wuz  pitiful  as  anything  I  ever 
see,  and  sometimes  I  thought  pitifuler. 

Now,  spozin'  he  wanted  to  find  out  some  particular 
thing  so  dretfully  it  seemed  as  if  he  couldn't  live  a  min- 
ute without  knowin'  about  it,  he  would  ask  Hamen  and 
Hamen  would  tell  him  the  greatest  story  you  ever  hearn, 
and  Jack  would  listen  to  it  at  first,  and  talk  about  it, 
curous,  I'll  admit,  but  not  curous  at  all  if  it  wuz  true. 

And  then  Hamen  and  his  brother  would  laugh  like 
two  idiots  to  see  Jack's  wonderin'  looks,  and  shamed 
and  mortified  and  everything.  And  then  he  would  go 
to  Tamer  Ann,  but  Tamer  would  most  likely  have  some 
new  dime  novel  that  she'd  just  commenced,  and  would 
be  so  wropped  up  in  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  the  heroine, 
and  would  be  cryin'  over  her  lots  of  times,  so  she 


14  VSamantfia  on  Children's  Rights 

couldn't  see  Jack  through  her  tears,  and  she  would  have 
to  wipe  her  eyes  when  Jack  disturbed  her,  and  tell  him 
all  choked  down  by  her  emotions  to  run  away,  that  his 
Ma  wuz  too  busy  to  answer  him,  or  else  she  would  have 
some  new  distemper  that  day,  and  tell  Jack  to  run  away 
for  his  noise  wuz  killin'  her. 

Well,  what  wuz  the  poor  little  feller  to  do!  Every- 
thing wuz  new  to  him,  he  had  so  many  things  that  he 
wanted  to  find  out,  what  could  he  do?  Wall,  there  wuz 
only  one  thing  he  could  do,  and  that  wuz  to  try  to  find 
'em  out  for  himself.  Tamer  Ann  bein'  a  good  woman 
at  the  bottom  of  her  heart  (but  the  goodness  bein'  all 
covered  up  with  nonsense,  dime  novels,  fancy  distem- 
pers, etc.),  she  sent  Jack  to  Sunday  school. 

And  everything  there  wuz  new  to  him.  Tamer  Ann 
had,  I  spoze,  been  willin',  but  had  never  had  the  time 
to  teach  Jack  the  Bible.  Havin'  so  many  heroines, 
pirates,  etc.,  to  drive  along  in  front  of  her  mind,  she 
naterally  hadn't  any  room  for  the  apostles  and  prophets. 
The  procession  of  lovely  bein's  and  hoary  villains  wuz 
big,  and  the  thoroughfare  small  (Tamer's  mind  I  mean). 
And  when  a  woman  is  huntin'  round  for  new  fancy  dis- 
tempers, what  time  has  she  to  tell  a  child  about  the 
Babe  of  Bethlehem? 

No,  Jack  didn't  know  a  thing  about  the  Bible,  and  the 
female  Sunday  school  teacher  he  went  to  wuz  a  Born 
Baptist,  she  wuzn't  as  you  may  say  a  woman,  a  female 
citizen,  or  human  bein',  she  wuz  jest  Baptist,  plain  Bap- 
tist. 

And  so  the  food  poor  little  Jack  had  put  before  him 
at  that  Sabbath  school  wuz  hard,  sound  food.  Good 
doctrine,  but  tough,  fearful  tough.  Well,  Jack  accepted 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  15 

it  jest  as  he  did  every  new  thing,  and  then,  as  his  first 
move  always  wuz,  he  went  to  investigatin*  it  himself. 

She  told  him,  with  no  explanation,  that  if  any  one 
prayed  in  faith  their  prayers  would  be  answered.  It 
wuz  a  new  idee  to  Jack,  and  he  wuz  agitated  over  it. 
He  asked  his  father  that  night  if  it  wuz  so,  and  told 
Hamen  about  the  Lamb  appearin'  to  Abraham,  and  sez 
Jack: 

"  If  I  had  faith  would  my  prayers  be  answered!  " 

"  Yes,"  sez  Hamen,  "  if  you  should  pray  to  have  it 
rain  down  candy,  down  it  would  come.** 

Sez  Jack,  "  Would  the  lamb  appear?  "  That  seemed 
to  be  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

"  Yes,"  sez  Hamen,  "  the  lamb  would  appear,  and 
mebby  a  hull  drove  of  'em." 

And  then  Hamen  looked  at  John  and  winked,  and 
they  both  snickered,  the  fools!  Well,  Jack  see  that 
they  wuz  makin'  fun  of  him,  and  he  kinder  meached 
away  with  his  mornin'  glory  blue  eyes  most  shot  up. 
Poor  little  creeter!  little,  lonesome,  abused  creeter! 

And  when  he  got  over  his  mortification  a  little  he  re- 
solved to  investigate  for  himself.  So  he  went  out  in  the 
kitchen  and  built  up  a  fire  in  the  stove,  took  off  all  the 
griddles,  and  piled  on  the  wood  as  nigh  as  Abraham  did 
as  he  could  in  a  cook  stove,  accordin'  to  a  picter  the 
Born  Baptist  had  shown  him.  He  got  a  good  hot  fire 
goin',  and  then  he  took  a  book,  a  costly  book  that 
Hamen  had  gin  to  Jack,  thinkin'  that  though  it  wuz 
pretty  old  for  him  now,  he  would  grow  up  to  it.  It  wuz 
full  of  costly  engravin's,  and  wuz  the  thing  that  Jack 
loved  best  of  all  his  possessions. 

So  he  laid  that  book  on  the  hot  griddles,  and  then 
knelt  down  and  prayed  for  God  not  to  burn  it  up.  He 


16  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

lifted  his  voice  loud  in  prayer.    Tamer  Ann,  who  hearc 
him,  thought  that  he  wuz  preachin',  as  he  often  did. 

So  she  didn't  interfere,  and  she  wuz  at  that  very  min 
ute  mistrustin'  she  had  got  a  new  distemper.  She  ha< 
bumped  her  knee  gittin'  down  to  look  under  the  bee 
after  a  dime  novel,  "  The  Wild  Princess  of  the  En 
chanted  Forest,"  and  wuz  some  in  hopes  that  she  ha< 
got  the  sinevetus.  But  pretty  soon  she  smelt  a  smudge 
and  she  run  out  and  there  wuz  the  valuable  book  al 
burnt  and  shriveled  up,  and  poor  little  Jack  kneelin 
there  with  the  tears  runnin'  down  his  cheeks  in  copiou 
astorents  and  he  a  moanin'  to  himself,  and  groanin'  out 
* '  Oh,  the  Lord  might  a  done  it  if  He  had  wanted  to  1  ! 
and  "  Oh,  the  lamb  didn't  come!  "  and  "  Oh,  He  didn1 
save  my  book!  "  And  so  on  and  so  on. 

Well,  Tamer  Ann  didn't  take  the  poor  little  mourne 
and  seeker  after  truth  to  her  heart  and  wipe  away  hi 
tears  and  tell  him  all  about  it,  all  she  could  tell,  all  an 
of  us  can  tell,  which  is  little  enough,  Heaven  know: 
No,  she  jest  whipped  him  severely.  And  when  he  trie 
to  tell  her  what  he  did  it  for,  how  the  teacher  had  tol 
him  that  it  wuz  so,  she  told  him  to  stop  instantly  an 
to  not  say  another  word  to  her  about  it,  but  to  go  to  be 
without  his  supper  for  his  naughtiness.  And  poor  litt 
Jack  had  to  meach  off  to  bed  and  lay  there  with  h 
little  mind  workin'  on  and  workin'  on,  his  hungi 
stomach  makin'  his  brain  all  the  more  active. 

Tamer  Ann  might  whip  his  tongue  still,  but  si 
couldn't  stop  his  mind  from  workin'.  No,  the  one  th 
set  that  machinery  to  goin'  wuz  the  only  one  who  cou 
stop  it.  As  he  had  told  his  Ma  once,  "  You  can  mal 
me  keep  my  tongue  still,  but  you  can't  stop  my  thinker. 
No,  Tamer  Ann  couldn't  whip  that  still. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  17 

Well,  the  poor  little  creeter  lay  and  pondered  over 
what  could  have  caused  the  failure  of  his  plans.  And 
he  finally  made  up  his  mind  that  his  sacrifice  wuzn't 
costly  enough. 

He  loved  the  book  the  best  of  anything  he  owned, 
but  the  B.  B.  had  told  him  that  he  must  offer  up  what 
he  loved  best  of  anything  in  the  world.  And  he  remem- 
bered, too,  in  the  story  of  Abraham  it  wuz  a  livin'  sac- 
rifice. Why  hadn't  he  thought  of  it?  Why,  it  must 
be  his  mother,  of  course.  For,  by  that  mystery  of  love 
born  in  the  deep  silence  and  perils  of  maternity,  Jack 
loved  his  mother  the  best  of  all,  and  Tamer  loved  him 
(in  her  way). 

Well,  from  that  time  Tamer  Ann  wuz  doomed  in 
Jack's  eyes,  set  apart  as  a  costly  oblation  to  be  offered 
up  on  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  and  he  begun  to  watch  her 
so  mysterious  like,  and  kinder  prowl  round  her  in  such 
a  strange  way  that  they  all  noticed  it.  He  went  to  Sab- 
bath school  agin  in  the  meantime,  and  wuz  agin  fed  on 
the  sound,  hard  food  that  would  almost  have  cracked 
the  teeth  of  a  adult,  but  which  poor  little  Jack  wuz  ex- 
pected to  chew  on  and  digest  (poor  little  creeter!) 

And  agin  the  subject  wuz  Faith,  and  agin  the  story 
of  Abraham  wuz  brung  up,  and  agin  they  wuz  admon- 
ished and  adjured  to  sacrifice  what  they  loved  the  best 
of  all,  if  they  would  be  rewarded,  and  see  the  lamb  of 
sacrifice,  snow  white  and  glorious,  appear  at  their  right 
hand. 

Jack's  eyes  grew  bigger  and  bigger,  and  his  plans 
seemed  nearer  fulfilment.  He  wanted  to  do  right  and  he 
wanted  the  lamb.  He  thought  he  could  make  a  pen  for 
it  back  of  the  woodshed.  But,  above  all,  the  fervor 
of  a  martyr  had  been  waked  up  in  his  ardent  young  soul. 


18  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

He  felt  lifted  up  and  inspired.  He  would  obey  the  Lord. 
He  would  do  his  duty  regardless  of  his  own  feelings.  He 
would  sacrifice  his  best  beloved. 

That  evenin'  Tamer  wuz  settin'  peaceful  readin' 
"  Lost  Eudora  of  the  Gulch;  or,  The  Becalmed  Ele- 
phant,*' when  she  heard  a  movement  behind  her  and 
she  looked  round  and  there  Jack  wuz  applyin'  a  match 
to  a  string  that  wuz  tied  round  her  belt  and  wuz  trailin' 
along  the  carpet.  He  wuz  jest  as  pale  as  death  and  wuz 
cryin',  but  looked  resolved.  He  wuz  settin'  fire  to  his 
mother,  sacrificin'  his  best  beloved,  according  to  the 
commandment  of  the  B.  B. 

Well,  Jack  looked  so  woe-be-gone  and  agitated,  and 
the  string  looped  into  the  belt  and  layin'  down  on  the 
floor  like  a  train  laid  to  a  gunpowder  plot  looked  so 
curous,  that  Jack  wuz  questioned,  and  it  all  came  out. 
"Well,  I  spoze  that  there  never  wuz  a  child  whipped 
harder  than  that  child  wuz.  He  bore  the  marks  for  days 
and  days.  Tamer  has  got  a  dretful  temper,  everybody 
knows  that,  I  hain't  tellin*  any  news. 

And  for  five  days  he  wuz  shet  up  in  his  room  and  kep' 
on  bread  and  water,  and  not  one  word  said  to  him  in 
all  that  time  of  comfort  and  sympathy  or  enlightenment. 
But  they  whipped  the  idee  of  sacrifice  entirely  out  of 
him,  and  faith.  For  the  next  time  the  subject  of  faith 
come  up  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  the  B.  B.  wuz  holdin' 
forth  all  the  beauties  of  faith,  and  the  sureness  of  its 
rewards,  Jack's  little  voice  piped  out: 

"  There  hain't  a  word  of  truth  in  it;  for  my  folks  say 
BO,  and  I  know  that  there  hain't,  for  I've  tried  it  for 
myself." 

Oh,  the  poor  little  creeter!  not  knowin*  one  word  of 
the  divine  faith  of  which  the  story  he  heard  wuz  the 


'Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  13 

symbol.  Of  how  when  the  dearest  and  best  is  offered 
up  on  the  altar  of  a  divine  renunciation,  God  sends  His 
peace  and  His  rest  into  our  lives  like  snow  white  lambs, 
and  all  sacrifices  seem  easy  for  His  sake  who  gave  us 
His  best.  Poor  little  Jack!  not  a  word  of  this,  not  a 
word  of  common  sense  even,  nothin?  but  whippin's  and 
tellin's  to  "  shet  up  instantly  I  " 
Poor  little  creeterl 


CHAPTER  H 

Y  son,  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  his  wife,  Mag- 
gie, have  got  a  little  daughter,  it  wuz  very 
pleasin*  to  Josiah  and  me,  and  weighed 
over  nine  pounds.  It  is  now  most  ten 
months  old,  and  is,  with  the  exception  of 
my  other  grandchildren,  the  most  beautiful  child  that 
wuz  ever  seen  in  Jonesville,  some  foolish  folks  would 
think  I  wuz  prejudiced  in  its  favor,  but  it  is  the  prevail- 
in'  opinion  all  over  Jonesville,  it  has  been  talked  to 
Thomas  Jefferson  and  Maggie  and  Josiah  and  me  re- 
peatedly, so  we  have  got  to  believe  it,  for  what  we  know 
ourselves  and  the  neighbors  know  to  be  a  fact  must  be  so. 

Its  name  is  Snow,  after  the  little  one  that  went  home 
and  left  them.  You  know  Maggie's  name  wuz  Snow,  she 
is  Maggie  Snow  that  wuz,  and  I  wuz  in  favor  of  the  child 
bein'  named  after  her,  in  fact,  as  it  may  be  remembered, 
I  named  the  child,  it  wuz  left  to  me. 

"  Mother,"  sez  Thomas  J.,  the  first  time  I  went  there 
after  the  first  little  Snow  came  and  I  see  the  baby  layin* 
on  Maggie's  arm: 

"  Mother,"  sez  he,  and,  though  there  wuz  a  smile  on 
his  lips,  there  wuz  tears  in  his  voice  as  he  said  it,  "  no- 
body else  shall  name  my  little  girl  but  you." 

"  No,"  spoke  out  my  daughter,  Maggie,  smilin'  sweet 
from  her  pillow,  "  you  must  name  it,  Mother." 

The  children  like  me,  nobody  can  dispute  that,  not 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  21 

even  my  worst  enemy,  if  I  had  one,  but  then  nobody 
would  believe  him,  anyway,  for  he  would  be  a  perfect 
liar.  But,  as  I  wuz  sayin',  I  looked  down  on  'em,  Mag- 
gie's face  looked  white  and  sweet  out  of  the  muslins  and 
laces  round  her,  the  bed  wuz  white  as  snow,  and  so  wuz 
she,  and  the  baby  wuz  white.  And  Maggie's  soul  wuz 
white,  I  knew,  white  as  snow,  and  so  wuz  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson 's,  his  morals  are  sound,  extremely  sound  and  light 
colored,  and  the  baby's,  God  bless  it!  I  knew  wuz  like 
the  newly  driven  snow  fallin'  down  onto  the  peaceful 
earth  that  blessed  day,  and  so,  sez  I  kinder  soft: 

"  We'll  call  the  baby  Snow." 

And  I  bent  down  and  kissed  Maggie,  and  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson kissed  us  both,  and  the  thing  wuz  done,  their  lit- 
tle girl  wuz  named  Snow.  And  I  said,  "  Try  to  bring 
her  up  so's  the  name  will  be  appropriate  to  her." 

And  they  both  on  'em  said  they  would,  and  they  did. 
Oh,  what  a  beautiful  child  that  wuz,  but  it  melted  away 
like  its  namesake  in  a  April  day,  drawn  up  to  its  na- 
tive heaven  by  the  warm  sun  of  God's  love,  and  when 
this  baby  come  to  fill  its  place  I  wanted  it  called  Snow, 
and  they  all  did,  and  that's  its  name,  she  is  a  very  beau- 
tiful child,  and  they  are  bringin'  her  up  beautiful.  Her 
behavior  for  a  child  ten  months  of  age  is  the  most  ex- 
emplary I  ever  see  (with  the  exception  of  my  other 
grandchildren),  it  is  a  perfect  pattern  to  other  children 
to  see  that  child  behave. 

I  despise  now,  and  always  have  despised,  the  idee  of 
grandparents  bein'  so  took  up  with  their  grandchildren 
that  they  can't  see  their  faults,  it  is  dretful  to  witness 
such  folly.  But,  as  I  have  said  to  Josiah  and  to  others, 
11  What  are  you  goin'  to  do  when  there  hain't  any  faults 
to  see?  How  be  you  a-goin'  to  see  'em?  "  Why,  there 


22  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

hain't  any  reason  in  tryin'  to  see  things  that  hain't 
there.  If  Delight  and  Snow  and  my  other  grandchildren 
ever  have  any  faults  I  shall  be  the  first  one  to  see  'em, 
the  very  first  one,  and  so  I  have  told  Josiah  and  the 
neighbors. 

This  little  Snow  is  very  white  complected,  and  her  eyes 
are  jest  the  softened  shade  of  the  deep  velvet  blue  of 
the  pansy,  and  her  hair  is  kinder  yellowish,  and  curls 
in  loose  rings  and  waves  all  over  her  head,  all  round  her 
white  forward  and  satin  smooth  neck.  She  has  got  the 
same  sweet  smile  on  her  lips  that  her  Ma  has,  and  little 
angel  Snow  had,  but  the  look  in  her  eyes,  though  they 
hain't  the  same  color,  is  like  my  boy,  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son's, they  look  kinder  cunning  and  cute  some  of  the 
time  jest  like  his,  and  then  deep  and  tender  jest  like 
hisen.  Thomas  Jefferson  is  deep,  it  has  been  gin  up  that 
he  is,  it  is  known  now  all  over  Jonesville  and  out  as 
fur  as  Loontown  and  all  the  other  adjacent  villages,  that 
Thomas  J.  is  deep. 

I  knew  it  when  he  wuz  a  child,  I  found  it  out  first, 
but  now  everybody  knows  it,  why  the  bizness  that  boy 
gits  is  perfectly  oncommon,  folks  bring  their  lawsuits 
to  him  from  as  fur  as  way  beyend  Toad  Holler  and  the 
old  State  Road,  and  all  round  Zoar,  and  Loontown,  and 
Jonesville,  why  milds  and  milds  they'll  fetch  'em  ruther 
than  have  anybody  else,  and  the  land  is  perfectly  full 
of  lawyers,  too,  painfully  full.  He  and  Tom  Willis,  his 
confidential  clerk,  have  more  than  they  can  do  all  the 
time,  they  have  to  employ  one  or  two  boys,  they  are 
makin'  money  fast. 

Well,  I  spozed  that  seein'  Thomas  J.  wuz  doin'  so 
well,  and  Maggie's  father  havin'  left  her  a  handsome 
property  of  her  own  (the  Judge  died  of  quinsy,  lamented 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  23 

some  years  ago),  I  spozed,  seem'  she  wuz  abundantly 
able  and  its  bein'  so  fashionable,  that  Maggie  would 
have  a  nurse  for  her  little  girl.  But  the  day  the  child 
wuz  a  month  old  I  spent  the  day  with  'em,  and  Maggie 
told  me  she  wuzn't  goin'  to.  She  looked  kinder  deli- 
cate as  she  sot  there  holdin'  little  Snow,  her  cheeks  wuz 
about  as  white  as  the  dress  she  had  on,  and  I  sez,  "  It  is 
goin'  to  be  quite  a  care  for  you,  daughter." 

11  Care!  "  And  as  she  looked  up  in  my  face  I  wuz 
most  struck  with  the  look  in  her  big  eyes,  it  wuz  a  look 
of  such  tenderness,  such  rapture,  such  anxiety,  such 
wonder,  and  most  everything  else;  I  declare  for  it  I  never 
see  such  a  look  in  my  life  unless  it  wuz  in  the  face  of 
the  Madonna  hangin'  right  up  over  her  head.  Thomas 
J.  bought  it  and  gin  it  to  her  a  few  months  before,  and 
it  hung  right  at  the  foot  of  her  bed.  The  Virgin  mother 
and  her  child. 

It  wuz  a  beautiful  face,  Thomas  J.  thought  it  favored 
Maggie,  and  I  don't  know  but  it  did,  it  did  jest  that  min- 
ute, anyway,  she  had  the  same  look  in  her  eyes  that 
Mary  had.  Well,  if  you'll  believe  it  right  while  we  wuz 
talkin'  about  that  baby,  Miss  Green  Smythe  come  in  to 
see  Thomas  Jefferson,  she  is  tryin'  to  git  some  divorces, 
and  she  wants  Thomas  J.  to  undertake  the  job,  she  is 
dretful  good  to  Maggie  and  flatters  Thomas  Jefferson 
up,  but  Thomas  J.  won't  take  the  case,  unless  he  sees  he 
is  on  the  right  side. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Allen  has  took  his  Ma's  advice;  he 
has  never,  never  took  holt  of  a  case  that  he  didn't  think 
honestly  and  firmly  he  wuz  on  the  right  side  on't.  He 
has  got  the  name  of  bein'  a  honest  lawyer,  and  they 
say  folks  come  milds  and  milds  jest  to  look  on  him, 
they  consider  him  such  a  curosity.  That's  jest  why  he 


24  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

gits  so  much  custom,  folks  would  ruther  see  him  than  a 
circus,  he  bein'  such  a  rariety,  and  then  when  they 
see  him  they  like  him,  they  can't  help  it,  and  so  he 
gits  their  custom. 

I  told  Thomas  J.  when  he  wuz  young  to  do  right  for 
the  right's  sake,  sez  I,  "  Thomas  J.,  I  despise  that  old 
proverb,  *  Honesty  is  the  best  policy.7  I  don't  want 
you  to  do  anything  out  of  policy,"  sez  I,  "  do  right  for 
the  right's  sake,  for  the  sake  of  God's  truth  and  your 
own  soul.  You  can't  like  yourself,  nor  God  can't  like 
you  if  you  do  a  mean,  shabby,  contemptible  act.  Do 
jest  as  near  right  as  you  can,  Thomas  Jefferson  Allen, 
and  leave  success  or  failure  with  Him  who  sees  into  your 
soul  and  your  future  clear  to  the  end,  if  there  is  a  end, 
which  I  don't  spoze  there  is.  You  had  better  be  a 
failure  outside  than  inside."  Sez  I,  "  Let  the  one  who 
can  see  inside  of  you  look  down  into  a  clean  soul,  and 
even  if  you  are  covered  with  rags  outside  your  Ma  will 
be  satisfied." 

So  I  would  say  to  Thomas  J.  from  day  to  day  and 
from  year  to  year  in  his  school  days.  And  when  he 
went  into  the  law,  sez  I,  "  Thomas  Jefferson,  it  may 
be  my  lot  to  see  you  torn  by  wild  horses  and  layin*  on 
a  guillontine,  but,"  sez  I,  "  though  that  would  kill  your 
Ma,  it  would  kill  her  quicker  to  see  and  hear  that  you 
had  got  up  in  cold  blood  and  wuz  tryin'  to  prove  that 
a  lie  wuz  the  truth,  and  that  the  truth  wuz  a  lie,  usin' 
all  the  intellect  and  power  the  God  of  truth  give  to 
prove  a  untruth,  to  go  against  Him,  against  your  con- 
science, against  your  soul." 

Sez  I,  "  Cases  can  be  plastered  over  with  all  the  thick 
plaster  you  can  lay  on  'em  about  duty  to  clients,  ex- 
pediency, etc.,  etc.  But  if  a  man  is  guilty  he  ort  to  be 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  25 

punished,  and  if  he  is  innocent  he  hadn't  ort  to  be  pun- 
ished, and  if  you  ever  take  the  part  of  the  guilty  against 
the  innocent,  if  you  git  up  under  God's  pure  daylight 
and  try  to  prove  that  the  innocent  is  guilty,  try  and 
prove  a  lie,  your  Ma  will  not  live  long  to  see  it  go  on," 
sez  I,  "  for  mortification  would  set  in  powerful  and  so 
deep  that  it  will  soon  end  her  days." 

Thomas  Jefferson  hearn  to  me,  he  wuz  a  honest  boy 
by  nature,  and  my  teachin's  have  struck  in  deep.  He 
is  a  honest  lawyer,  and  as  I  say  folks  come  milds  and 
milds  jest  to  look  at  him.  As  it  has  turned  out  he  is  a 
success  outside  as  well  as  inside. 

And  Miss  Green  Smythe  wants  him  to  take  her  case 
dretfully.  Good  land!  she's  been  in  the  law  for  years, 
her  children  have  turned  out  real  bad,  and  she's  turned 
out  sort  o'  curous  herself.  She  is  a  great  society  woman, 
and  has  enormous  success  in  that  direction;  why,  she 
has  been,  so  I  have  been  told  and  believe,  to  nineteen 
parties  in  one  night,  she  gives  immense  receptions,  and 
has  got  diamonds  as  big  as  eggs  almost  (bird's  eggs,  I 
cannot  lie,  I  do  not  mean  hen's  eggs).  Yes,  she  has 
had  great  success  in  that  way,  but  she  has  had  dretful 
poor  luck  with  her  children. 

She  has  got  a  husband  somewhere,  I  spoze.  I  believe 
that  I  hearn  once  of  somebody  who  had  seen  Mr.  Green 
Smythe  one  day  settin'  on  the  back  doorstep  of  her  city 
house.  But  she  always  has  two  or  three  young  men 
danglin'  round,  and  she  never  sez  a  word  about  her  hus- 
band. Somebody  said  to  me  one  day  that  it  seemed 
kinder  queer  that  nobody  ever  see  Mr.  Smythe,  but  I  sez: 

"  Oh,  she  most  probable  knew  where  he  wuz;  she  most 
probable  knew  that  he  wuz  settin'  out  there  at  the  back 
door." 


26  'Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

I  will  stand  up  for  my  sect  when  I  can,  but  I  don't 
approve  of  her  acts  not  at  all;  if  I  had  a  husband  I 
should  want  one,  and  if  I  didn't  have  a  husband  I 
shouldn't  want  one,  and  I  should  want  it  fixed  so  I 
should  know  jest  how  it  wuz. 

But  as  I  say,  her  children  have  turned  out  dretful, 
and  most  everybody  thinks  that  it  wuz  the  way  they 
wuz  brung  up  that  made  'em  turn  out  so.  She  left  the 
hull  care  of  'em  to  hired  nurses  and  servants,  and  they 
wuz  mean,  some  of  'em,  and  neglected  'em  sometimes, 
and  sometimes  learnt  'em  by  precept  and  example  to 
be  as  mean  as  they  wuz. 

"Why,  a  woman  told  me,  and  a  likely  woman,  too, 
though  I  won't  mention  any  names,  as  I  am  afraid  she 
wouldn't  like  it  if  I  did,  but  I  will  say  that  I  always 
could  depend  on  every  word  that  Alvira  Sampson  said. 

Well,  she  told  me  she  called  Miss  Green  Smythe's  at- 
tention to  the  way  her  children  wuz  bein'  dealt  with  by 
her  help,  and  she  said  all  the  answer  Miss  Green  Smythe 
made  wuz  to  look  kinder  dreamily  at  her  and  wonder 
whether  she  had  better  have  yellow  or  pink  candles  in 
her  reception  room  at  her  next  party;  she  wuz  gittin'  up 
a  Charity  Ball  for  motherless  children.  And  I  told  Al- 
viry  that  Miss  Green  Smythe  had  better  include  her  own 
children  in  the  charity,  for  they  wuz  jest  about  the  same 
as  motherless. 

And  this  certain  woman  said  she  tried  to  draw  her 
attention  agin  to  the  needs  of  her  own  offspring,  and 
agin  Miss  Green  Smythe  looked  dreamily  up  and  sez, 
"  I  am  so  ondecided  whether  to  wear  pale  rose  colored 
chiffon  or  cloth  of  gold  on  the  night  of  the  party." 
And  then  that  certain  woman  said  she  gin  up  the  idee  of 
gittin'  her  mind  onto  her  own  children's  welfare,  she 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  27 

didn't  say  another  word  to  her  about  it,  and  I  believe 
her,  for  Alvira  won't  lie. 

So  Miss  Green  Smythe  wuz  left  with  a  anxious  con- 
templation of  the  color  of  the  light  that  wuz  goin*  to 
softly  gild  the  heads  of  her  guests  as  they  talked  of  the 
cruel  needs  of  the  motherless,  and,  bein'  took  up  with 
this,  she  hadn't  time  to  worry  about  the  evil  glare  of 
vile  and  corrupt  words  and  ways,  deceit  and  lies,  and 
worse,  that  wuz  fallin*  on  the  heads  of  her  own  chil- 
dren. 

But  to  resoom  forwards  agin.  Maggie  and  I  wuz  set- 
tin*  there  calm  and  peaceful,  and  saw  the  colored  nig- 
ger's countenance  lookin'  round  dretful  clever  from  his 
high  seat. 

Miss  Green  Smythe  swep'  up  the  neat  gravel  walk  to 
the  door,  and  in  a  few  minutes  entered  the  room.  She  is 
a  kinder  good  natured  little  woman,  but  dretful  wore 
out  and  haggard  lookin'  under  the  embellishments  she 
uses  to  cover  up  the  ravages  of  time  and  care  and  fash- 
ionable ambition  and  worry.  She  always  dresses  in  the 
very  height  of  fashion,  but  she  has  too  many  feathers 
and  flowers  and  danglin'  ends  of  ribbon  to  suit  me. 

I  never  took  any  fancy  to  her,  though  I  spoze  I  ort 
to  feel  complimented  on  her  comin'  clear  from  New 
York  to  git  Thomas  Jefferson  to  try  her  lawsuit.  Her 
present  husband  is  a  distant,  a  very  distant,  relation 
of  ourn.  But  I  don't  spoze  that  makes  any  difference 
about  her  employin'  Thomas  J.,  I  spoze  it  is  his  smart- 
ness that  draws  her.  She  is  spendin'  the  summer  at  a 
summer  hotel  not  fur  off,  she  and  her  family,  and  she 
is  tryin'  to  git  some  divorces  for  herself  and  one  of  her 
children.  She  don't  want  a  divorce  from  Smith,  Mr. 
Green  Smythe  gives  her  rope  enough.  I  guess  she  feels 


28  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

pretty  foot  loose,  'tennyrate  nobody  ever  sees  him, 
though  they  know  there  is  a  husband  somewhere  in  the 
background  grubbin'  away  to  make  money.  They  say 
he  is  a  sad  and  humble  sperited  man,  who  sets  a  good 
deal  on  their  back  doorstep  at  Newport  and  New  York, 
when  he  sets  anywhere,  a  modest,  bald  headed  man, 
with  iron  gray  mustache  and  sad  eyes.  They  say  he 
don't  seem  at  home  in  the  palatial  front  rooms  and  boo- 
doors,  and  is  kinder  trompled  on  by  the  high  headed 
servants  in  livery.  But  he,  knowin',  I  spoze,  that  he 
could  turn  'em  all  out,  neck  and  crop  and  leathered  legs, 
if  he  wanted  to,  bears  it  pretty  well,  and  sets  out  there 
and  reads  the  daily  papers.  And  sometimes  I  have 
hearn  holds  an  old  degariotype  in  his  hand,  and  will 
look  at  it  a  long  time,  of  a  pretty  young  country  girl 
that  he  loved  when  he  wuz  young  and  poor,  and  prized 
ambition  and  wealth  a  good  deal  more  than  he  duz  now. 
They  say  he  looks  at  that  a  sight,  and  some  letters  writ 
by  *  *  Alice  ' '  and  some  little  sprigs  of  old  fashioned  run- 
nin'  myrtle  that  has  opened  its  blue  flowers  for  many 
summers  over  a  grave  on  a  country  hillside. 

They  commenced  to  bloom  about  a  year  after  he  mar- 
ried the  rich  widder  Green,  whose  money  put  with  his 
made  him  rich  as  a  Jew.  She  had  three  husbands,  Miss 
Green  Smythe  had,  before  she  married  Smith;  Smith 
then  but  Smythe  now.  Her  first  husband,  Sam  Warn, 
he  don't  count  much  in  her  thoughts,  so  I've  hearn, 
bein'  young  and  poor,  and  havin'  married  him  for  love, 
so  called,  and  he  her.  He  died  in  a  few  years,  died 
from  overwork,  everybody  said.  He  wuz  tryin'  to  work 
over  hours  to  pay  for  a  melodeon  for  his  wife  and  a  pair 
of  bracelets;  she  wuz  ambitious  then  in  her  young  and 
poor  days,  ambitious  as  a  dog.  He  died  leavin'  her 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  29 

nothin'  but  the  twins,  Eudora  Francesca  and  Medora 
Francina. 

Her  next  husband  wuz  old  Green,  he  wuz  goin'  on 
eighty  when  she  married  him,  and  he  died  in  less  than  a 
year,  leavin'  her  with  over  two  millions.  Her  next  hus- 
band, Emery  Tweedle,  father  of  Algernon  and  Angenora, 
wuz  much  younger  than  herself,  and  I  didn't  wonder  at 
that  so  much  as  some  did,  thinkin'  that  she  wanted  to 
sort  o*  even  up  the  ages  of  her  pardners,  and  he  wuzn't 
nigh  as  much  younger  than  her  as  Green  wuz  older,  and 
I  always  believed  (theoretically)  that  sass  for  the  goose 
and  sass  for  the  gander  might  as  well  be  about  the  same 
age. 

Howsumever,  they  didn't  live  happy,  he  throwin'  her 
downstairs  the  third  year  of  their  union  and  throwin'  a 
cut  glass  pitcher  on  top  of  her.  The  occasion  bein'  that 
she  found  him  tryin'  to  help  the  pretty  parlor  maid 
carry  upstairs  the  pitcher  of  ice  water  she  had  rung 
for. 

She  wuz  a  real  pretty  parlor  maid,  and  Miss  Tweedle 
by  this  time,  havin'  run  so  hard  after  fashion,  had  got 
kinder  worn  out  lookin'  and  winded  in  the  race,  as  you 
may  say,  with  lots  of  small  wrinkles  showin'  round  the 
eyes  and  nose,  and  real  scrawny  where  her  figger  wuzn  't 
veneered  and  upholstered  for  company,  and  the  parlor 
maid  had  a  plump  figger,  and  complexion  like  straw- 
berries and  cream,  but  wuzn't  considered  likely.  But 
'tennyrate  that  fall  precipitated  affairs,  and  havin'  got 
up  with  little  Eudora  Francesca 's  help,  Miss  Tweedle 's 
first  move  wuz  to  sue  for  a  divorce. 

Her  back  wuz  hurt  considerable,  and  so  wuz  her  pride, 
but  her  heart  not  at  all,  so  it  wuz  spozed,  for  she  mar- 
ried him  in  the  first  place,  not  for  love,  but  because 


30  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

he  could  sing  bass  good,  she  had  a  high  terible  voice, 
and  their  voices  went  well  together.  He  wuz  poor,  and 
she  made  the  first  advances,  so  they  said,  bein'  anxious 
to  secure  his  bass. 

And  didn't  it  turn  out  queer  as  a  dog  that  when  she 
married  for  bass  she  got  such  a  sight  of  it,  she  got  more 
than  she  bargained  for.  She  had  never  made  any  in- 
quiries about  him,  and  found  out,  when  it  wuz  too  late, 
that  his  voice  wuzn't  the  only  base  thing  about  him.  He 
wuz  real  mean  and  tried  to  throw  her  out  of  the  second 
story  winder  before  they  had  been  married  two  weeks. 
That  wuz  because  she  wouldn't  deed  all  her  property  to 
him.  But  she  knew  enough  to  hang  onto  her  property, 
and  he,  bein'  so  poor,  hung  onto  her  off  and  on  for  a  little 
over  two  years.  They  got  along  somehow,  and  when  she 
and  affairs  wuz  finally  precipitated,  they  had  two  chil- 
dren, which  the  law  give  to  her,  about  a  year  and  a  half 
old.  And  about  two  months  after  the  seperation  she 
had  another  child,  Angelia  Genevieve,  but  she  didn't 
live  only  a  year  or  so,  havin'  crep'  up  and  fell  into  the 
bathtub,  and  wuz  drowned,  her  Ma  bein'  at  a  masked 
ball  at  the  time. 

Well,  she  got  a  Western  divorce  and  married  Mr.  Ebe- 
nezer  Smith,  and  spozed  that  the  Tweedle  eppisode  wuz 
over.  But  after  lettin'  her  alone  for  years,  Tweedle, 
bein'  base  clear  to  his  toes,  and  havin'  run  through  his 
property  and  had  reverses,  wuz  botherin'  Miss  Green 
Smy the,  and  demandin '  money  of  her.  He  said  there  wuz 
some  legal  error  in  the  divorce  papers,  and  he  wuz 
threatenin'  her  bad. 

Well,  she  wuz  in  a  hard  place  and  I  felt  sorry  for  her. 
And  then  her  girls  had  had  sights  of  trouble,  too,  the 
two  girls,  Eudora  Francesca  and  Medora  Francina 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  31 

"Warn,  that  wuz  their  right  name,  but  their  Ma  thought 
that  Green  Smythe  sounded  fur  more  genteel,  so  she 
called  'em  by  that  name,  they  have  had  dretful  bad  luck. 
Eudora's  nurse  wuz  a  good  faithful  creeter  (that  wuz 
after  her  Ma  had  married  old  Green,  good  land!  she 
nussed  'em  herself  till  then).  But  as  I  was  sayin',  Eu- 
dora's nurse  wuz  a  valuable  woman  but  had  one  fault; 
she  would  drink  once  in  a  while,  and  it  wuz  when  she 
had  one  of  her  drunken  fits  that  she  dropped  the  little 
girl  onto  the  marble  hearth  and  hurt  her  spine,  she  suf- 
fered dretful  and  went  to  a  private  hospital  the  year  her 
Ma  wuz  in  Europe  for  the  fifteenth  time,  the  nurse  stay- 
in'  with  her  and  cryin*  over  her  lots  of  times,  they  say, 
for  she  had  a  good  heart. 

Well,  she  stayed  there  for  years  till  she  got  to  be  a 
young  woman,  while  Miss  Green  Smythe  took  Medora 
Francina  round  with  her  considerable.  She  had  a  great- 
aunt  on  her  Pa's  side,  Karen  Happuck  Warn,  who  wuz 
as  rich  as  Creshus,  her  husband  havin'  made  his  money 
in  a  coal  mine  discovered  on  his  rocky  old  farm  up  in 
Maine. 

Well,  this  old  lady  bein'  left  without  chick  or  child 
of  her  own,  what  should  Miss  Green  Smythe  do  but 
take  Medora  Francina  up  there  visitin'?  And  I  spoze 
she  done  it  from  pure  ambition  and  wantin'  to  advance 
her  child's  interests,  she  told  her  aunt  that  Medora 's 
name  wuz  Karen  Happuck  Warn,  and  she  called  her  all 
the  time  she  wuz  there  Karen  Happuck.  Well,  that 
tickled  the  old  lady  dretfully,  and  she  seemed  to  like 
Medora  first  rate,  and  her  Ma  left  her  there  most  a  year, 
while  she  went  off,  I  believe  it  wuz  to  Algeria  that  time, 
or  Cairo  or  somewhere. 

The  Warns  wuz  dretful  religious  folks,  and  Medora 


32  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

wuz  under  better  influences  that  year  than  she  ever  wuz 
before  or  since,  I  spoze,  and  she  enjoyed  herself  first 
rate,  and  realized  the  beauty  of  a  good  honest  life,  of 
duty  and  labor  and  simple  pleasures  and  domestic  hap- 
piness. She  fell  in  love  up  there  with  a  handsome  young 
lumberman,  Hatevil  White,  and  would  have  liked  to 
married  him,  he  wuz  a  distant,  a  very  distant  relation 
to  old  Miss  Warn,  though  she  didn't  have  much  to  do 
with  him  then. 

Well,  they  fell  in  love  with  each  other,  and  I  guess 
it  would  made  a  match,  but  Miss  Green  Smythe  couldn't 
bear  to  have  Medora  marry  a  common  Mr.  and  a  lumber- 
man at  that,  she  hankered  after  a  title  in  her  family, 
so  she  took  her  home  to  New  York  and  there  she  met  her 
titled  man.  You  know  that  in  one  of  the  big  hotels 
there  you  can  always  see  a  hull  row  of  'em  settin'  in  the 
hall,  lookin'  out  for  rich  wives;  they  write  their  letters 
from  that  hotel  and  hang  round  there,  but  sleep,  it  is 
spozed,  in  some  hall  bedroom  downtown,  and  eat  where 
they  can,  but  they  are  real  lucky  in  findin'  pardners,  and 
there  Medora  found  hern.  He  wuz  quite  good  lookin', 
and,  owin'  to  his  title,  a  great  pet  amongst  the  four 
hundred.  Why,  they  all  wanted  to  marry  him,  the  hull 
four  hundred,  or  all  of  'em  that  hadn't  got  some  hus- 
bands, mebby  three  hundred  or  so.  But  Medora  car- 
ried off  the  prize,  her  Ma  wanted  the  title  in  the  family, 
and  he  wanted  Medora 's  money;  she  wuz  spozed  then, 
besides  her  own  money,  to  be  the  heiress  of  her  aunt. 

But  he  turned  out,  as  so  many  titled  men  do  that  hang 
round  that  400  in  New  York,  to  be  a  imposter.  He 
wuzn't  a  Baron,  he  wuz  formerly  a  valley,  or  that  is 
what  they  call  it,  to  a  real  titled  man,  and  from  him  he 
had  got  the  ways  of  high  life,  good  dressin',  flowery,  flat- 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  33 

tering  language,  drinkin',  billiard  playing  etc.,  etc. 
Well,  he  spent  Medora's  money,  and  broke  her  heart,  and 
I  believe  a  few  of  her  bones;  he  wuz  a  low  brute,  and 
I  don't  blame  her  for  wantin'  a  divorce. 

She  left  the  sham  Baron  after  her  bones  wuz  sot  and 
went  up  to  Maine  agin,  and  some  say  she  made  over- 
toors  to  that  Hatevil  White,  but  he  wuz  true  to  his 
name  and  wouldn't  marry  the  fickle  creeter  who  had 
deceived  him  once.  And  then  by  that  time  (men's 
hearts  are  so  elastic)  he  had  got  in  love  with  a  pretty 
young  school  teacher,  and  married  her  the  next  year 
after  these  overtoors,  and  her  aunt,  having  found  out 
how  she  wuz  deceived  in  regard  to  Medora's  name,  left 
her  hull  property  when  she  died  to  this  distant  rela- 
tion, Hatevil  White. 

So  poor  Medora  Francina  felt  that  her  Ma  had  ondone 
her  for  the  second  time.  She  has  got  a  high  temper, 
and  her  tongue  is  the  worst  scourge  Miss  Green  Smythe 
has  to  stand,  they  fight  perfectly  fearful,  so  they  say. 
Well,  to  resoom  backwards  a  spell.  About  the  time 
Medora  wuz  married  Eudora's  disease  seemed  to  take 
another  form,  it  kinder  went  to  her  head,  but  she  ap- 
peared well  enough,  and  could  walk  round  as  well  as 
anybody.  So,  as  she  wuz  very  beautiful,  the  handsomest 
one  in  the  family,  her  mother  took  her  home  and  had 
teachers  and  learnt  her  what  she  could  and  made  of 
her.  And  it  wuz  the  next  winter  after  she  went  home  to 
live  that  she  ran  away  with  the  coachman. 

Her  mother  had  to  go  to  Europe  agin  that  winter, 
'twas  the  twenty-fourth  time,  I  believe;  but,  'tennyrate, 
she  wuz  there.  But  she  left  Eudora  in  the  care  of  a  very 
accomplished  and  fashionable  French  governess.  Miss 
Green  Smythe  didn't  have  time  to  learn  much  about  this 


34  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

governess,  she  wuz  so  busy  gittin'  her  trueso  ready  for 
her  journey,  and  in  givin*  a  big  fancy  ball  before  she 
sailed,  so  she  couldn't  take  the  time  to  find  out  much 
about  this  woman,  and  she  wuz  dretful  romantick  and 
kinder  mean,  and  Eudora  wuz  completely  under  her  in- 
fluence. 

The  governess  thought  this  coachman  wuz  a  Marquiz 
in  disguise,  son  of  a  long  line  of  Earls,  he  said  he  wuz, 
when  questioned  about  it.  But  he  wuzn't  no  such  thing; 
his  Pa  wuz  in  the  peanut  line  on  the  Bowery.  The 
governess  would  have  gladly  married  him  herself,  but 
she  wuz  older  and  kinder  humbly,  so  he  proposed  to 
Eudora,  and  they  run  away  and  wuz  married.  There 
wuz  no  need  of  their  runnin'  away,  there  wuz  no  one 
to  interfere  with  'em,  for  Mr.  Green  Smythe  out  on  the 
back  steps  wouldn't  have  noticed  what  wuz  goin*  on. 
But  the  governess  thought  it  would  be  so  much  more 
romantick  to  depart  by  midnight  sarahuptishusly,  so  I 
spoze  she  helped  rig  up  a  rope  ladder  by  which  Medora 
descended  to  her  coachman. 

Well,  he  didn't  use  her  well,  it  wuzn't  hereditary  in 
his  family  to  use  wimmen  well,  they  generally  struck  at 
'em  with  their  fists,  instead  of  polite  tongue  abuse  when 
they  offended  'em,  and  take  it  with  her  ill  usage  and 
the  wild  clamor  her  Ma  made  when  she  discovered  the 
marriage,  the  poor  awakening  wits  of  Eudora  Francesca 
fled  utterly.  The  coachman  wuz  bought  off  with  a  small 
sum  of  ready  money,  and  Eudora  wuz  taken  back  to  the 
asylum  for  good  and  all. 

Well,  as  I  say,  the  two  little  Tweedle  children,  boy  and 
girl,  are  queer  little  creeters,  they  are  about  eight  or 
nine  years  old  now,  and  are  with  their  Ma  to  Jonesville 
for  the  summer,  with  a  nurse  for  each  one.  The  baby, 


'SamantKd  on  Children's  Bights  35 

the  only  child  of  Mr.  Smith,  is  not  with  its  Ma  to  Jones- 
ville,  he  is  at  another  private  asylum,  not  fur  from  the 
one  that  Eudora  Francesca  is  in;  it  is  an  asylum  for 
idiots  and  a  sort  of  school  to  try  to  teach  'em  what  they 
can  be  taught. 

And  that  he  is  there  isn't  the  fault  of  any  nurse.  No, 
I  should  say  it  riz  higher  in  profession  and  wuz  the  fault 
of  the  medical  fraternity.  All  the  year  before  he  wuz 
born  Miss  Green  Smythe  wuz  very  delicate,  but  bein' 
so  fashionable,  she  considered  it  necessary  to  wear  a 
tight,  a  very  tight  cosset  till  the  very  day  the  baby  wuz 
born,  and  her  doctor  never  said  a  word  agin  it,  so  fur 
as  I  know,  but  realizin'  how  delicate  she  wuz  and  that 
her  strength  must  be  kep'  up  in  some  way,  he  ordered 
her  to  take  stimulants,  and  she  drinked,  and  she  drinked, 
and  she  drinked.  Why,  I  spoze  from  what  I've  hearn 
that  she  jest  took  barrels  of  wine  and  champagne  and 
brandy.  She  never  went  half  way  in  anything,  not  even 
Hottentots,  of  which  more  hereafter.  And  the  stimu- 
lants bein'  ordered  she  drinked  continually.  And  when 
the  boy  wuz  born  it  wuz  a  perfect  idiot.  Her  fashion- 
able doctor  who  ordered  the  stimulants  said  it  wuz  a 
"  melancholy  dispensation  of  Providence." 

The  doctor  who  attended  Mr.  Green  Smythe,  and  an 
old  friend  of  hisen,  said  it  wuz  * l  a  melancholy  judgment 
on  fools."  He  wuz  a  quick  tempered  man,  but  honest 
and  high  learnt,  and  he  wuz  mad  at  the  fashionable  doc- 
tor and  Miss  Green  Smythe,  too.  Well,  it  cured  her  of 
drinkin',  anyway;  she  had  always  wanted  a  boy  dret- 
fully,  and  when  the  only  one  she  had  ever  had  wuz 
born  a  idiot  it  mortified  her  most  to  death,  and  she  could 
never  bear  the  sight  of  it,  and  had  never  laid  her  eyes 
on  it  since  it  wuz  took  to  the  private  asylum. 


36  SamantJia  on  Children's  Bights 

A  pretty  lookin'  child,  too,  they  said  it  wuz,  only  not 
knowin'  anything.  They  said  about  this  time  Ebenezer 
Smith's  hair  changed  from  iron  gray  to  pretty  near 
white,  for  he  loved  the  baby,  his  only  child  and  heir  to 
all  his  millions.  And  he  kep'  lookin'  and  watchin'  for 
some  signs  of  sense  in  it  for  a  long  time.  And  the  only 
reason  he  gin  his  consent  to  have  it  go  to  the  asylum 
wuz  that  he  didn't  know  but  they  might  help  it  to  some 
spark  of  reason.  He  read  his  old  letters  more  than  ever, 
they  said,  out  on  the  back  steps,  and  looked  more  at 
Alice's  face  in  the  old  velvet  covered  case,  and  then  he 
would  look  away  from  that  sweet,  fresh  face  off  onto 
the  sky  or  ocean  as  the  case  might  be,  either  in  New 
York  or  Newport,  he  would  look  off  for  some  time  and 
wuz  spozed  to  be  thinkin'  of  a  good  many  things. 

Well,  it  wuz  to  get  a  divorce  for  Medora  and  see  to 
her  own  Tweedle  bizness  that  Miss  Green  Smythe  had 
come  to  Jonesville.  She  had  employed  a  big  New  York 
lawyer,  but  he  hadn't  been  very  successful,  and  she 
wanted  Thomas  J.'s  help.  Tweedle  had  once  lived  in 
this  vicinity  for  some  time,  and  she  wanted  Thomas  J.  to 
try  and  collect  evidence  for  her  and  help  her.  But  he 
will  walk  round  the  subject  on  every  side  and  look  at 
it  sharp  before  he  tackles  it. 

I  spoze  it  is  a  great  compliment  to  have  such  rich  folks 
as  the  Green  Smythes  so  anxious  to  secure  his  services. 
But  that  won't  make  any  difference  to  our  son,  he  won't 
touch  it  unless  he  thinks  she  is  in  the  right  on't.  He 
follers  these  two  old  rules  that  his  Ma  laid  down  before 
him  when  he  first  set  out  to  be  a  lawyer.  Sez  I,  "  Al- 
ways, Thomas  Jefferson,  f oiler  them  two  rules,  and  you 
will  be  sure  to  come  out  right  in  the  end: 

"  First  rule,  '  Be  sure  you  are  in  the  right  on't,'  then, 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  37 

"  Second  rule,  '  Go  ahead.'  " 

As  I  sez  to  him  impressive, ' '  You  will  be  sure  to  come 
out  right  if  you  f oiler  them  two  rules.  Mebby  you  won't 
always  win  your  case  before  earthly  judges,  though  I 
believe  you  will  be  more  apt  to.  But  that  hain't  the  im- 
portant thing,  my  son,"  I  would  say,  "  the  important 
thing  is  to  win  your  case  before  the  Great  Judge  that 
is  above  all.  Why,"  sez  I,  "  wouldn't  you  ruther  win  a 
case  before  the  Supreme  Court  in  Washington,  D.  C., 
than  before  a  Jonesville  jury?  " 

And  he  would  say,  "  Why,  yes,  of  course." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  wouldn't  you  ruther  win  the  case 
before  the  Great  Judge  that  sets  as  high  above  them 
Supreme  Judges  as  Heaven  is  above  the  earth?  " 

I  tell  you  them  simelys  sunk  into  Thomas  J.'s  heart; 
he  follers  them  rules  day  by  day.  As  I  said  more 
formerly,  he  is  inquirin'  round  about  Miss  Green 
Smythe's  case,  and  if  he  makes  up  his  mind  that  she 
and  Medora  are  in  the  right  on't  he  will  help  'em  (and 
thereby  ensure  her  success),  and  if  she  hain't  in  the 
right  on't  he  won't  touch  the  case  with  a  pair  of  tongs 
or  leather  mittens. 

Well,  to  stop  retrospectin'  and  resoom  backwards  a 
little.  Miss  Green  Smythe  greeted  me  and  Maggie  with 
considerable  warmth,  about  as  warm  as  hot  dish  water, 
while  our  greetin's  to  her  wuzn't  any  warmer  than  new 
milk.  Maggie  wuz  holdin'  Snow  in  her  arms  when  Miss 
Green  Smythe  wuz  ushered  in,  leadin'  a  pug  dog  by  a 
ribbon,  and  one  of  her  danglers  wuz  out  in  the  carriage 
lookin'  at  the  house  through  a  eye  glass.  Miss  Green 
Smythe  made  a  great  flutter  and  excitement  in  comin' 
in,  and  made  a  sight  of  Maggie  and  me,  but  we  didn't 
seem  fluttered  or  excited  by  her,  nor  we  didn't  make  any 


38  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

more  of  her  than  we  did  of  any  of  the  neighbors,  though 
we  used  her  well,  and  she  sot  down  and  took  her  pug 
into  her  lap,  for  Maggie's  cat  riz  up  her  back  that  high 
at  the  sight  of  it  that  I  thought  it  would  break  into, 
and  I  got  up  and  let  her  out. 

I  knew  what  the  call  wuz  for,  it  wuz  to  molify  Thomas 
J.  and  make  him  willin'  to  take  her  case  in  hand.  Well, 
she  wuz  dretful  good  to  Maggie,  over  good,  I  thought; 
she  called  her  lots  of  kinder  foolish  names,  "  Petteet 
Ongey,"  and  "  belle  amey,"  and  lots  of  other  trash. 
Maggie's  name  hain't  Amy,  nor  never  wuz. 

Maggie  took  it  all  in  good  part  and  sot  there  smilin' 
and  holdin'  little  Snow  close  to  her  heart.  Miss  Green 
Smythe  didn't  notice  the  baby  at  all,  no  more  than  as  if 
it  wuz  a  rag  babe.  But  she  begun  to  talk  a,bout  a  big 
entertainment  she  wuz  goin'  to  have  and  wanted  us  to 
come  to,  and  she  called  it  a  real  curous  name,  it  sounded 
some  like  Fate  Sham  Peter. 

I  guess  it  wuzn't  exactly  that,  for  it  sounded  so  curous 
to  me  I  sez  to  her,  sez  I,  "  I  spoze  Peter  is  all  for  fashion 
and  outside  gildin'  and  sham,  and  that's  how  he  got  his 
name?  "  And  I  sez,  "  Is  Peter  any  relation  of  yourn?  " 
And  then  she  explained  it  out  to  me  as  well  as  she  could. 

But  I  sez,  "  I  guess  I'll  call  it  Sham  Peter,  for  that  is 
nigh  enough  to  distinguish  it  from  other  Peter's  and 
other  shams,  and  that  is  the  main  thing." 

She  acted  as  if  she  didn't  like  it,  and  answered  my 
questions  kinder  short  and  uppish.  I  never  took  to  her, 
for  I  had  hearn  all  these  things  I  have  sot  down  about 
her  babies  and  husbands  and  danglers  and  everything, 
and  I  spozed  like  as  not  I  should  have  to  give  her  a  piece 
of  my  mind  before  she  left;  I  spozed  that  I  might  have 
to  onbeknown  to  me. 


•Samantfia  on  Children's  Rights  39 

Well,  Maggie  excused  herself  from  goin'  on  account 
of  little  Snow,  she  said  she  didn't  go  out  much  to  even- 
ing parties  for  they  took  her  strength  so,  and  she  felt 
that  she  needed  all  her  strength  to  take  care  of  her  baby. 
"  Take  care  of  your  baby!  "  Miss  Green  Smythe  fairly 
screamed  out  the  words,  she  wuz  that  horrow  struck. 
"  You  take  care  of  your  baby?  Why,  my  dear  Mrs. 
Allen,  I  could  not  have  understood  you  aright,  you  take 
care  of  your  baby  yourself!  " 

"  Yes,"  sez  Maggie  quietly,  "  I  take  most  of  the  care 
of  my  child  myself,  and  I  intend  to  do  so." 

Miss  Green  Smythe  held  up  both  of  her  hands  in  hor- 
row and  leaned  back  in  her  chair,  "  Well,  that  is  some- 
thing I  wouldn't  have  believed  if  I  hadn't  heard  it  my- 
self, that  you  are  goin'  to  take  care  of  your  own  child," 
and  the  idee  seemed  to  upset  her  so  that  she  hurried 
off  earlier,  I  believe,  than  she  would  otherwise.  But  be- 
fore she  went  she  did  git  me  to  promise  to  attend  a  re- 
ception she  wuz  goin'  to  give  before  long;  Maggie  said 
she  believed  it  would  do  me  good  to  git  out  and  have  a 
little  change. 


CHAPTER 


P  there  ever  wuz  a  girl  in  the  world  that  I 
loved,  no  kin  to  me,  it  wuz  Marion  Martin. 
She  lived  nigh  enough  so  I  knew  her  hull 
history  from  A  to  Z,  specially  Z.  It  wuzn  't 
the  beauty  of  her  face  nor  her  sweet  dis- 
position, though  they  wuz  attractive,  but  it  wuz  her  real 
self,  the  beauty  and  patience  and  duty  of  her  hull  life 
that  made  up  her  charm  to  me. 

Her  Ma  died  when  she  wuz  fourteen,  leavin'  two  twins 
jest  of  a  age,  three  singles,  and  a  Pa  with  a  weak  tot- 
tlin'  backbone  that  had  to  be  propped  up  by  somebody, 
and  when  Miss  Martin  laid  down  the  job  Marion  took  it 
up.  She  wuz  real  sweet  lookin',  her  eyes  wuz  soft  as 
soft  brown  velvet,  and  her  hair  about  the  same  color, 
only  with  a  sort  of  golden  light  when  the  sun  shone  on 
it,  a  clear  white  and  pink  complexion,  a  good  plump 
little  figger,  always  dressed  in  a  neat  quiet  way,  and 
pretty  manners,  so  gentle  and  lovely  that  I  always  felt 

when  I  see  her  like  startin'  up  that  old  him: 

. 

"  Sister  thou  art  mild  and  lovely, 
Gentle  as  a  summer  breeze.'* 

But  didn't  always,  knowin'  it  would  make  talk.  But 
I  had  noticed  that  she  begun  to  look  wan  and  peaked. 
I  knowed  that  she  had  a  lover,  a  good  actin'  and  lookin' 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  41 

chap,  that  I  liked  first  rate  myself.  He  had  been  payin' 
attention  to  her  for  over  two  years,  and  I  wondered  if 
the  skein  of  true  love  that  had  seemed  to  run  so  smooth 
from  the  reel  of  life  had  got  a  snarl  in  it.  I  mistrusted 
it  had,  but  wouldn  't  say  anything  to  force  her  confidence, 
thinkin'  that  if  she  wanted  me  to  know  about  it  she 
had  the  use  of  her  tongue,  and  had  always  confided  in 
me  from  the  time  she  used  to  show  me  her  doll's  broken 
legs  and  arms  with  tears. 

Marion  wuz  well  educated  and  always  the  most  help- 
ful little  thing  about  the  house.  She  wuz  one  of  the 
wimmen  who  would  make  a  barn  look  homelike,  a  good 
cook,  a  real  little  household  fairy,  and  Laurence  Marsh 
had  always  seemed  to  appreciate  these  qualities  in  her. 
Her  Pa  wuz  well  to  do,  so  Marion  had  enough  to  do  with, 
but  the  care  of  the  family  all  come  on  her,  her  Pa,  the 
two  twins,  and  three  singles  makin'  quite  a  burden  for 
her  soft  little  shoulders  to  bear.  But  she  seemed  to  be 
strengthened  for  it  some  way,  I  guess  the  Lord  helped 
her.  She  had  jined  the  church  when  she  wuz  fourteen 
and  wuz  a  Christian,  everybody  knew.  She  kep'  the 
house  in  perfect  order,  with  the  help  of  one  stout  Ger- 
man girl,  makin'  mistakes  at  first  but  gittin'  the  better 
of  'em  as  time  went  on,  takin'  the  best  of  care  of  the 
baby  girls,  kept  an  eye  on  the  three  unruly  boys,  kep' 
'em  to  home  nights  jest  by  lovin'  'em  and  makin'  home 
a  pleasanter  place  than  they  could  find  anywhere  else, 
injected  courage  and  hope  into  her  Pa's  feeble  will  in 
jest  the  same  way  by  her  love  and  cheerful,  patient  ways. 

She  studied  music  chiefly  so  the  boys  could  have 
some  one  to  play  for  'em— they  had  good  voices  and 
loved  to  sing— studied  all  the  health  books  and  books 
of  household  science  so  she  could  take  the  right  care 


42  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

of  her  babies,  and  her  home  improved  every  year,  so 
that  now,  when  she  wuz  nineteen,  I  told  Josiah  that 
Marion  Martin  wuz  jest  as  perfect  as  human  bein's  can 
be.  You  know  folks  can't  be  quite  perfect,  or  else  they 
would  flop  their  wings  and  fly  upwards.  And  oh,  how 
Marion  loved  her  baby  girls,  two  plump,  curly  haired 
little  cherubs,  and  how  they  loved  her,  and  how  her 
Pa  and  the  boys  leaned  on  her!  And  I  could  see,  if  no- 
body else  could,  how  her  heart  wuz  sot  on  Dr.  Laurence 
Marsh,  and  I  didn't  blame  her,  for  he  wuz  as  fine  a 
young  chap  as  there  wuz  in  the  country.  He  wuzn't 
dependent  on  his  profession,  he  had  plenty  of  money  of 
his  own,  that  fell  onto  him  from  his  Ma.  And  he'd  paid 
her  so  much  attention  that  I  spozed  he  would  offer  her 
his  heart  and  hand,  though  I  thought  mebby  he  wuz 
held  back  by  the  thought  of  how  necessary  she  wuz  in 
her  own  home.  But  it  had  come  to  me,  and  come  straight 
— Elam  Parson's  widder  told  it  to  Deacon  Bissel's  aunt, 
and  she  told  it  to  Betsy  Bobbett's  stepdaughter,  and  she 
told  Tirzah  Ann,  and  she  told  me;  it  come  straight— 
that  Marion's  Pa  had  been  seen  over  to  Loontown  three 
different  times  to  the  Widder  Lummises,  and  I  said  to 
myself  the  Lord  had  planned  to  lead  Marion  out  of  the 
kinder  stuny  path  of  Duty  into  the  rosy,  love-lit  path  of 
Happiness,  and  I  felt  well  over  it. 

But  who  can  know  anything  for  certain  in  this  oncer- 
tain  world?  One  day,  when  I  had  just  been  congratu- 
latin'  myself  while  I  washed  my  breakfast  dishes  about 
the  apparently  happy  future  waitin'  my  favorite  (Miss 
Bobbett  had  been  in  to  borry  some  tea  and  told  me  she 
see  the  Widder  Lummis  in  the  store  the  day  before 
buyin'  a  hull  piece  of  Lonsdale  cambric.  And  I  can  put 
two  and  two  together  as  well  as  the  best.  So  I  wuz 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  43 

washin'  away  with  a  real  warm  glow  of  happiness— my 
dish  water  wuz  pretty  hot,  but  that  wuzn't  it  entirely), 
Josiah  come  in  and  said  he  wuz  goin'  right  by  Marion's 
on  bizness,  and  I  could  ride  over  and  stay  there  whilst 
he  wuz  gone.  He  wanted  to  go  right  away,  but  he  wuz 
belated  by  the  harness  breakin'  after  we  got  started, 
so  it  wuz  after  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  before  we  got 
there. 

Marion  wuz  dretful  glad  to  see  me  and  visey  versey, 
yes,  indeed!  it  WUB  versey  on  my  part,  but  I  thought 
she  looked  wan,  wanner  than  I  had  ever  seen  her  look. 
The  hired  girl  had  gone  home  on  a  visit,  and  her  Pa  had 
took  the  two  little  girls  and  the  boys  out  ridin',  so 
Marion  wuz  alone.  And  as  I  looked  round  and  see  the 
perfect  order  and  beauty  of  her  home,  and  my  nose  took 
in  the  odor  of  the  good  dinner,  started  early,  so's  to  be 
done  good  (it  wuz  a  stuffed  fowl  she  wuz  roastin'  and 
cookin'  some  vegetables  that  needed  slow  cookin'),  and 
as  I  looked  at  her,  a  perfect  picture  with  her  satin 
brown  hair,  her  pretty  blue  print  dress,  with  white 
collar  and  cuffs  and  white  apron  with  a  rose  stuck  in 
her  belt,  I  thought  to  myself  the  man  that  gits  you  will 
git  a  prize.  But  I  wuz  rousted  from  my  admirin'  thought 
after  I  had  been  there  a  little  while  by  Marion  sayin' 
in  a  pensive  way: 

"  Do  you  think  I  could  write  poetry,  Aunt  Saman- 
tha? " 

"  Poetry  T  "  sez  I.  "  I  d'no  whether  you  could  or 
not."  But  as  I  looked  round  agin  I  sez  mildly,  "  Mebby 
you  couldn't  write  it,  Marion,  but  you  could  live  it,  and 
you  do  now  in  my  opinion." 

"  Live  poetry!  "  sez  she  wonderin'ly. 

"  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  livin'  poetry  is  full  as  beautiful  and 


44  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

necessary  as  to  write  it,  and  a  good  deal  more  of  a 
rarity." 

I  knew  her  hull  life  had  run  along  better  and  smoother 
than  any  blank  verse  I  had  ever  seen,  better  than  any 
Eppicac  or  Owed;  it  had  been  a  full,  sweet,  harmonious 
poem  of  love  and  order  and  duty.  But  she  sez  agin 
sadly: 

"  I  can't  live  poetry;  I  can  only  do  common  things. 
I  can't  read  Greek  or  write  poems,  or  carve  statutes, 
or  paint  beautiful  pictures." 

Her  sweet  eyes  looked  mournful.  I  wanted  to  chirk 
her  up.  So  I  sez,  as  my  nose  agin  took  in  a  whiff  of  the 
delicious  food,  "  Folks  can  worry  along  for  quite  a 
spell  without  knowin'  Greek,  when  they  can  understand 
and  do  justice  to  a  well  cooked  meal  of  vittles."  And 
sez  I,  as  my  eye  roamed  round  the  clean,  sweet  interior, 
"  There  is  such  a  thing  as  livin'  a  beautiful  picture,  and 
moulding  immortal  statutes  "  (I  meant  the  dear,  good 
actin'  little  twins),  "  and  in  my  idee  you've  done  it,  and 
I  know  somebody  else  that  thinks  so,  too." 

"  Oh,  no,  he  don't!  he  don't!  "  And  suddenly  she 
knelt  down  by  my  side  and  almost  buried  her  pretty 
head  in  my  shoulder  and  busted  into  tears.  And  so  it 
all  come  out,  for  all  the  world  tellin'  me  about  it  jest  as 
she  did  when  the  sawdust  flowed  from  her  doll's  legs. 

It  seemed  that  Laurence  Marsh  had  been  away  to  a 
relative's  visitin',  and  went  to  some  charity  doin's  and 
had  there  met  a  young  widder  visitin'  in  the  place,  a 
poetess  and  artist  and  sculptor;  she  read  a  Greek  poem 
dressed  in  Greek  costoom,  and  some  of  her  pictures  and 
statuettes  wuz  on  sale.  He  got  introduced  to  her.  She 
made  the  world  and  all  of  him,  and  I  see  how  it  wuz— 
men  are  weak  and  easy  flattered  and  don't  know  when 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  45 

they're  well  off— the  bright,  pure  star  that  had  lit  his 
life  so  long  didn't  seem  so  valuable  and  shinin'  as  the 
dashin'  glitter  of  this  newly  discovered  meteor  (meta- 
for).  The  widder  had  writ  to  him  and  he  had  writ  to 
her,  and  his  talk  since  then  had  been  full  of  her,  and  I 
see  how  it  wuz,  he  wuz  kinder  waverin'  back  and  forth, 
though  I  mistrusted,  and  as  good  as  told  Marion  so,  that 
his  love  for  her  wuz  as  firm  as  ever,  it  wuz  only  his 
fancy  that  had  been  touched. 

Well,  if  you'll  believe  it,  that  very  afternoon  after  I'd 
got  home,  who  should  come  in  but  Laurence  Marsh,  he 
brought  some  legal  papers  he  had  been  fixin'  for  Josiah 
—and  I  treated  him  quite  cool,  about  as  cool  as  spring 
water,  I  should  judge,  for  I  didn't  like  the  idee  of  his 
usin'  Marion  as  he  had,  though  of  course  he  wuzn't 
engaged  to  her,  and  had  a  right  to  pick  and  choose. 
And,  for  all  the  world,  if  he  didn't  go  to  work  and  con- 
fide in  me.  It  duz  beat  all  how  folks  do  open  their 
hearts  to  me;  I  spoze  it  is  my  oncommon  good  looks  that 
makes  'em,  and  my  noble  mean,  mebby,  and  if  you'll 
believe  it,  and  though  I  hadn't  no  idee  I  should,  I  did 
feel  kinder  sorry  for  him  before  he  got  through.  He 
appreciated  Marion,  I  see,  to  the  very  extent  of  appre- 
ciation, but  his  fancy  had  been  touched,  the  romance 
in  his  nater  had  responded  to  Miss  Piddockses  romance. 

"  Miss  Piddock?  "  sez  I,  "  she  that  wuz  Evangeline 
Allen?  " 

"  Her  name  is  Evangeline;  so  suited  to  her,"  sez  he. 

"  A  widder  with  three  children?  "  sez  I. 

"  Yes,  three  beautiful  little  cherubs;  I  love  them  al- 
ready from  their  mother's  description." 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  "  Miss  Piddock  is  related  to  Josiah 
on  his  own  side,  and  we've  been  layin*  out  to  go  and  see 


46  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

her,  but  sunthin'  has  hendered.  She  lived  out  West, 
and  has  only  moved  back  a  year  or  so  ago.  We've  writ 
back  and  forth;  and  Josiah  and  I  got  it  all  planned  to 
stop  and  see  her,"  sez  I;  "I,  too,  have  been  greatly 
took  with  her  writings."  His  handsome  face  grew  ear- 
nest, he  has  perfect  confidence  in  me,  and  sez  he: 

"  I  can  trust  you,  after  you  have  been  there  will  you 
tell  me  what  you  think  of  her?  Will  you?  "  And  sez 
he,  "I  feel  that  you  will  love  her,  adore  her;  for  if  she 
is  so  lovely  away  among  strangers  what  a  jewel  she  will 
be  in  the  precious  setting  of  her  own  beautiful  homel 
She  has  described  it  to  me,  and  I  have  loved  Nestle 
Down  jest  from  her  description." 

I  sez  coolly,  "  Josiah  and  I  hain't  goin*  to  be  sent  out 
like  spies  to  discover  the  land;  why  don't  you  go  your- 
self? " 

"  She  don't  want  me  to  visit  her,"  sez  he;  "  she  is  so 
sensitive,  so  delicate,  she  has  some  reason  I  do  not  un- 
derstand, and  my  duties  to  the  hospital  tie  me  here  until 
my  vacation,  which  seems  an  age.  But  my  life's  happi- 
ness depends  upon  my  decision,"  sez  he. 

Well,  I  didn't  give  no  promises  nor  refuse  'em.  What 
made  me  more  lienitent  to  Laurence  Marsh  wuz  that  I, 
too,  had  such  feelin's  of  deep  respect  for  Evangeline 
Piddock.  I,  too,  had  read  with  a  beatin'  heart  some  of 
her  poems  on  the  beauty  and  sacredness  of  home  and 
domestic  happiness,  her  glorification  of  Mother  Love  and 
Duty,  and  at  a  relative's  I  had  seen  some  of  her  pictures 
and  statuettes  in  stun,  beautiful  as  a  dream— she  wuz 
truly  a  disciple  of  Art  and  Beauty  and  a  Creator.  And 
then— I  heard  his  ardent  words,  I  see  the  light  in  his 
eyes.  And  oh,  the  joys  and  pains  and  the  dreams  of 
youth,  the  raptures  and  the  agonies!  I  could  look  back 


Mamantha  on  Children's  Rights  47 

and  feel  'em  agin  in  memory.  The  impatience  with 
Destiny,  the  hopes,  the  uncertainty,  the  roads  that 
branch  off  in  so  many  different  ways  before  the  hasty 
impatient  feet.  Setting  at  rest  at  eventide  in  the  long 
cool  shadows,  don't  let  us  forget  the  blazing  skies,  the 
heart  beats,  the  ardent  hopes,  the  ambitions,  the  per- 
plexing cares  of  the  forenoon. 

Well,  if  you'll  believe  it,  the  very  next  Sunday  after 
that  Marion's  Pa  married  the  Widder  Lummis,  stood  up 
after  meetin'  and  married  her  in  a  goodx  sensible,  mid- 
dle-aged way,  and  brung  her  home,  and  Josiah  and  I 
wuz  invited  there  the  next  week  a-visitin'.  We're 
highly  thought  on  in  Jonesville. 

I  found  Marion's  stepma  quite  a  good  lookin'  woman, 
full  of  animal  sperits  and  dressed  handsome;  she  seemed 
good  enough  to  Marion  on  the  outside,  but  I  could  see 
that  home  wuzn't  what  it  had  been  to  Marion  in  any 
way;  her  new  Ma  wanted  to  go  ahead  and  be  mistress, 
and  thought  she  had  a  right  to,  and  she  didn't  keep  the 
house  as  Marion  did;  things  wuzn't  dirty,  but  if  the 
house  resembled  any  poem  at  all  it  wuz  a  poem  of  Dis- 
order and  Tumult.  She  wanted  the  two  boys  and  the 
twins  to  like  her,  and  she  humored  'em,  gin  'em  candy 
and  indigestible  stuff  that  Marion  never  approved  of, 
but  they  did  highly,  and  they  seemed  kinder  weaned 
from  Marion  and  took  up  with  their  good  natered,  in- 
dulgent new  Ma.  And  of  course  Marion's  Pa,  as  wuz 
nateral,  wuz  all  engrossed  in  his  new  wife;  she  wuz 
healthy,  handsome,  and  a  good  cook.  Poor  Marion!  in 
the  new  anthem  they  wuz  all  jinin'  in  there  didn't  seem 
to  be  any  part  for  her  voice.  She  looked  like  a  mournin' 
dove;  my  heart  ached  for  her. 

Towards  night  I  see  her  leanin'  up  against  the  west 


48  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

winder  of  the  parlor  lookin'  out  sadly,  and,  though  the 
settin'  sun  wuz  on  her  face,  it  couldn't  lighten  the  shad- 
der  on  it.  I  went  up  to  her  and  laid  my  hand  on  her 
shoulder,  and  I  see  then  that  her  eyes  had  been  fixed 
on  the  pretty  cottage  Dr.  Marsh  had  jest  bought,  the 
prettiest  place  in  Jonesville,  a  sort  of  a  stun  gray  house 
settin'  back  in  its  green  trees  with  a  big  lawn  like  velvet 
in  front,  all  dotted  with  flowering  shrubs  and  handsome 
trees.  But  I  never  let  on  that  I  knew  what  she  wuz 
lookin'  at.  But  I  sez,  as  I  laid  my  hand  tenderly  on  her 
shoulder: 

"  Dear,  I  shan't  see  you  agin  for  some  time,  as  we're 
goin'  to  make  a  few  visits,  if  I  can  get  Josiah  started." 

She  lifted  her  big  sad  eyes  to  mine,  they  wuz  full  of 
tears,  and  she  didn't  need  to  say  a  word.  Her  tragedy 
wuz  writ  there,  the  loss  of  everything  she  had  loved 
and  held  dearest  in  her  life;  she  didn't  need  to  speak,  I 
read  it  all,  it  wuz  coarse  print  to  me,  I  didn't  need  specs. 
And  she  read  what  she  see  in  my  eyes,  the  deep  love 
and  sympathy  I  wouldn't  profane  by  puttin'  into  words. 
No,  I  jest  bent  down  and  kissed  her  and  she  me,  and, 
havin'  passed  the  compliments  with  the  new  Miss  Mar- 
tin, we  went  home,  and  the  next  day  we  started  on  our 
tower. 

Well,  as  we  approached  Pennell  Hill,  the  abode  of 
Evangeline  Allen  Piddock,  I  looked  anxiously  at  myself 
and  pardner  and  picked  off  some  specks  of  lint  from  his 
coat  collar*  and  my  mantilly  and  anxiously  smoothed 
the  creases  of  my  umbrell  and  tried  to  fold  it  up  closter 
and  more  genteel,  but  I  could  not,  it  would  bag,  but  I 
felt  a  or  in  approachin'  her  home,  for  I  had  studied 
her  poems  a  sight  and  almost  worshipped  'em,  and 
through  them  the  writer,  you  know  sunthin'  as  it  reads, 


AND   THEN  ALL   THREE    ON  'EM    YELLED   OUT  I    "RUBBER    NECK!    RUBBER   NECK!" 

Page  49. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  49 

"  Up  through  Nater  to  Nater 's  God."  So  I  had  looked 
up  through  her  glorious  poems  of  Love  and  Home  and 
Childhood  and  Beauty,  her  divine  poems  and  statutes, 
up  to  the  author,  and  my  soul  had  knelt  to  her,  and 
thinkses  I,  I  am  now  on  the  eve  of  enterin'  a  home  more 
perfect  and  beautiful  than  my  eyes  have  ever  beheld, 
presided  over  by  a  perfect  angel.  Of  course  I  didn't 
spoze  she  had  wings  or  a  halo,  knowin'  a  woman  couldn't 
git  around  sweepin'  and  dustin'  worth  a  cent  with  white 
feather  wings,  and  knowin'  the  halo  would  more'n  as 
likely  as  not  drop  off  when  she  wuz  smoothin'  rugs  or 
pickin'  posies  to  ornament  her  mantelry  piece.  But  I 
expected  to  see  a  woman  perfected  as  I  had  never  seen 
her  before  in  every  way.  And  I  not  only  paid  attention 
to  the  outside  of  our  two  frames,  but  I  tried  to  pick  out 
the  very  finest  soul  garment  I  had  by  me,  to  clothe  my 
sperit  in,  knowin'  then  that  it  wuz  hardly  worthy  of  her. 

But  my  meditations  wuz  broke  in  on  about  a  mild 
from  Pennell  Hill  by  seein'  a  strange  lookin'  group  of 
children  ahead  on  us;  they  wuz  bareheaded  and  clad  in 
ragged  dirty  garments,  and  their  faces  and  hands  and 
feet  wuz  as  near  to  Nater 's  heart  as  dirt  could  make  'em. 

Their  manners,  too,  wuz  sassy,  and  grotesque  in  the 
extreme,  for  when  we  stopped  and  I  asked  'em  politely 
if  they  could  tell  us  where  Miss  Evangeline  Piddock 
lived,  the  oldest  one  sung  out: 

"  What  do  you  want  with  her?  You  can't  see  her 
anyway,  she's  abed!  " 

"  No,"  sez  another  of  'em,  "  she  won't  look  at  you, 
you're  too  homely."  And  still  another  stuck  a  grimy 
forefinger  on  the  side  of  a  smudgy  nose  and  sez,  ' l  What 
are  you  givin'  us?  "  And  then  all  three  on  'em  yelled 
out,  "  Eubber  neck!  Rubber  neck!  "  Some  sort  of  a 


50  ^SamantUa  on  Children's  Eights 

slang  word,  I  spoze— and  then  they  kicked  up  their  dirty 
heels  and  run  and  jumped  over  a  fence,  and  one  boy 
turned  two  or  three  summersets,  while  the  other  ones 
kicked  at  us.  Worse  lookin'  children  I  never  see,  nor 
worse  actin'  ones,  not  in  my  hull  durin'  life;  I  felt 
stirred  up  and  mad  clear  to  my  bones  as  they  disap- 
peared over  a  hill.  And  I  sez  to  Josiah: 

"  I  should  think  that  the  ennoblin'  influence  of  Evan- 
geline  Allen  Piddock  would  have  elevated  even  neigh- 
borin'  children  and  kep'  'em  from  bein'  perfect  savages 
like  these." 

And  Josiah  sez,  "I'd  love  to  try  the  ennoblin'  influ- 
ence of  a  good  birch  gad  on  'em,"  and  I  didn't  blame 
him,  not  a  mite.  Anon  we  approached  a  shamblin',  run- 
down lookin'  place,  the  house  with  the  paint  all  off  in 
spots  and  the  picket  fence  dilapidated,  the  pickets  and 
rails  hangin'  loose,  and  weeds  runnin'  loose  over  the 
yard,  and  Josiah  sez,  "  We  might  inquire  here  where 
Evangeline  lives." 

I  sez,  "  She  wouldn't  have  anything  to  do  with  folks 
that  live  in  such  a  lookin'  place,  but  it  wouldn't  do  any 
hurt  to  inquire." 

So  Josiah  approached  the  rickety  piazza,  and  care- 
fully stepped  up  on  the  broken  doorstep  and  rapped, 
the  door-bell  hangin'  down  broke.  He  rapped  agin  and 
yet  agin,  and  the  third  time  the  door  wuz  opened  and  a 
female  appeared  clad  in  a  long  flowing  robe  of  sage 
green,  and  her  kinder  yellow  hair  hangin'  loose,  only 
banded  in  a  Greek  sort  of  a  way  with  a  dirty  rib- 
bin  and  the  robe  wuz  dirty  and  two  or  three  holes 
in  it. 

Sez  Josiah,  "  Mom,  can  you  tell  me  where  she  that 
wuz  Evangeline  Allen  lives,  Miss  Piddock  that  now  is?  " 


SamantKa  on  Children's  Eights  51 

And  then  the  female  struck  a  sort  of  a  graceful  atti- 
tude and  sez,  "  I  am  Evangeline  Allen  Piddock." 

You  could  have  knocked  me  down  with  a  hair-pin, 
and  my  poor  Josiah  wuz  also  struck  almost  sensible,  and 
sez  he,  "  Well,  we've  come!  "  And  the  female  looked 
down  on  him,  still  holdin'  that  graceful  attitude.  But  I 
broke  the  deadlock  that  ensued  by  callin'  out  from  the 
democrat,  I  wuz  only  a  little  ways  off: 

"  Miss  Piddock,  let  me  introduce  Josiah  to  you." 

She  come  forward  eagerly  and  sez  with  effusion,  "  Is 
this  Cousin  Josiah  Allen1?  "  And  she  shook  his  hands 
warmly.  "  And  is  this  my  dear  Cousin  Samantha?  " 
sez  she,  approachin'  the  vehicle  and  holdin'  my  hand  in 
both  of  hers.  "  Descend  from  your  equipage!  "  sez  she. 
"  Welcome,  dear  cousins,  to  Nestle  Down!  " 

"  Thank  you,  Evangeline/*  sez  I,  as  I  slowly  backed 
out  of  the  democrat  and  alighted  down.  But  my  soul 
wildly  questioned  me,  "  Where,  where  shall  we  nestle 
down?  "  For  I  couldn't  see  any  place.  And  after  we 
got  our  things  off  and  wuz  visitin'  my  soul  still  kep'  up 
this  questioning  "  When,  when  shall  I  nestle  down? 
And  where?  "  For  the  outside  of  the  house  wuzn't  a 
circumstance  to  the  inside;  everything  that  could  be  out 
of  place  wuz,  and  everything  that  could  be  dirty  lived 
up  to  its  full  privileges  in  that  respect.  The  hired  girl, 
a  shiftless  critter,  I  could  see,  wuz  sick  with  nooraligy, 
but  appeared  with  a  mussy,  faded  out,  calico  wrapper 
and  a  yeller  flannel  tied  round  her  face,  and  inquired 
what  she  should  git  for  supper.  Evangeline  wuz  at  that 
minute  describing  to  me  a  statute  she  had  in  her  mind 
to  sculp,  but  she  left  off  and  gin  the  girl  some  orders, 
and  then  kep'  on  with  her  talk. 

She  sez,  "  My  mind  revels  in  the  heroic,  the  romantic, 


52  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

it  spreads  its  wings  and  flies  away  from  the  Present  and 
the  Eeal  into  the  Beautiful,  the  Ideal." 

And  I  thought  to  myself  I  didn't  blame  the  soul  for 
wantin'  to  git  away  somewhere,  but  knew  that  it  ort  to 
be  right  there  up  and  a-doin'  sunthin'  to  make  matters 
different. 

Well,  after  a  long  interval  we  wuz  called  out  to  the 
supper  table.  There  wuz  a  crumpled,  soiled  tablecloth 
hangin'  onevenly  on  a  broken  legged  table,  propped  up 
by  a  book  on  one  side.  I  looked  at  the  book,  and  I  see 
that  it  wuz  "  The  Search  for  the  Beautiful,"  and  I 
knowed  that  it  could  never  find  it  there.  Some  showy 
decorated  dishes,  nicked  and  cracked,  held  our  repast 
—thick  slices  of  heavy  indigestible  bread;  some  cake 
fallen  as  flat  as  Babylon  (you  know  the  him  states 
"  Babylon  is  fallen  to  rise  no  more  "),  some  dyspeptic 
lookin',  watery  potatoes  and  cold  livid  slices  of  tough 
beef;  some  canned  berries  that  had  worked,  the  only 
stiddy  workers  I  judged  that  had  been  round;  some  tea 
made  with  luke-warm  water.  Such  wuz  our  fare  en- 
livened by  the  presence  of  three  of  the  worst  actin', 
worst  lookin'  children  I  ever  see  in  my  life,  clamberin', 
disputing  sassy  little  demons,  reachin'  acrost  the  table 
for  everything  they  wanted,  sassin'  their  Ma  and  makin' 
up  faces  at  us  sarahuptishously,  but  I  ketched  'em  at 
it.  The  girl  with  the  nooraligy  waited  on  the  table;  her 
dress  hadn't  been  changed,  but  a  mussy  lookin'  muslin 
cap  wuz  perched  on  top  of  the  yeller  flannel  and  a  equally 
crumpled,  soiled,  white  muslin  apron  surmounted  her 
dress,  but,  style  bein'  maintained  by  these  two  objects, 
Evangeline  seemed  to  be  content. 

She  wuz  the  only  serene,  happy  one  at  the  table,  and 
she  led  the  conversation  upward  into  fields  of  Poesy 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  53 

with  a  fine  disregard  to  her  surroundin's  that  wuz  won- 
derful in  the  extreme.  Her  talk  wuz  beautiful  and  in- 
spiring and  in  spite  of  myself  I  found  myself  anon  or 
oftener  led  up  some  distance  into  happier  spears  of 
fancy  and  imagination.  But  a  howl  from  some  of  the 
little  demons  would  bring  me  down  agin,  and  a  look  at 
my  dear  pardner's  face  of  agony  would  plunge  me,  too, 
into  gloom.  Eat  he  could  not;  I  myself,  such  is  wom- 
an's heroism  and  self-sacrifice,  and  feelin'  that  I  must 
make  up  for  his  arrearages,  eat  more  than  wuz  for  my 
good,  which  I  paid  for  dearly  afterwards,  and  knowed  I 
must ;  dyspepsia  claimed  me  for  its  victim,  and  I  suffered 
turribly,  but  of  this  more  anon  and  bimeby. 

After  supper  we  returned  into  the  parlor,  the  children 
with  variegated  faces  and  hands,  caused  by  berry  juice 
and  butter,  swarmin'  over  us  and  everything  in  the 
room,  so  I  see  plain  the  reason  that  every  single  thing 
wuz  nasty  and  broken  in  the  house  and  outside.  They 
wuz  oncomfortable  as  could  be,  every  one  on  'em  had 
the  stomach  ache;  and  why  shouldn't  they?  The  acid 
in  their  veins  made  'em  demoniac  in  their  ways.  Not 
one  mouthful  had  they  eat  that  wuz  proper  for  children 
to  eat,  nor  for  any  one  else  unless  their  stomach  wuz 
made  of  iron  or  gutty-perchy.  And  I  didn't  believe  they 
ever  took  a  bath  unless  they  fell  into  the  water,  which 
they  often  did.  The  girl  had  gin  their  face  and  hands 
a  hasty  wipe  with  a  wet  towel,  and  their  hair,  which  wuz 
shingled,  wuz  as  frowsy  and  onclean  as  shingles  would 
admit  of. 

Evangeline  wuz  good  natered,  and  she  had  the  faculty, 
Heaven  knows  how  she  could  exercise  it,  of  bein'  per- 
fectly oblivious  to  her  surroundin's,  and  soarin'  up  to 
the  pure  Heavens,  whilst  her  body  wuz  down  in  a  state 


54  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

worse  than  savages.  Yes,  so  I  calmly  admitted  to  my- 
self, for  savages  roamed  the  free  wild  forest,  and  clean 
spots  could  be  found  amongst  the  wild  green  woods,  but 
here  in  vain  would  you  seek  for  one.  Her  poems  and 
statutes  wuz  beautiful,  and  she  had  piles  on  'em,  some 
done,  some  only  jest  begun;  she  wuz  workin'  now  on  a 
statute  of  Sikey,  beautiful  as  a  poem  in  marble  could  be, 
and  as  we  wuz  lookin'  at  it  she  sez,  liftin'  her  large,  fine 
eyes  heavenward: 

"  Oh,  to  create,  to  be  a  creator  of  beauty  in  poem  or 
picture  or  statute,  it  seems  to  make  one  a  partner  with 
the  Deity." 

"  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  there  is  a  good  deal  of  sense  in  that, 
and  I  fully  appreciate  beauty  wherever  I  see  it." 

But,  bein'  gored  by  Duty,  sez  I,  "  How  would  it  work 
to  make  your  own  children,  of  which  you  are  the  author, 
works  of  art  and  beauty,  care  for  them,  work  at  them 
some  as  you  do  at  your  own  stun  figgers,  cuttin'  off  the 
rough  edges,  prunin'  and  cuttin'  so  the  soul  will  show 
through  the  human,  and  they  havin'  the  advantage  over 
your  statutes  that  the  good  work  you  expend  on  them 
is  liable  to  go  on  to  the  end  of  time,  carryin'  out  your 
lofty  ideals  in  other  lives— how  would  it  work,  Evange- 
line,  and  makin'  your  own  home  as  nigh  as  you  can  like 
the  ideal  one  you  dote  on— wouldn't  it  be  better  for 
you?  " 

She  said  it  wouldn't  work  at  all;  the  care  of  home  and 
children  hampered  her  and  held  her  down;  she  preferred 
pure,  unadulterated  art,  onmingled  with  duties. 

But  I  sez,  ' '  Wouldn  't  the  time  to  decide  that  question 
been  before  you  volunteered  to  assume  these  cares;  but 
after  you  have  done  so  how  would  it  work  to  do  the  very 


'Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  55 

best  you  could  with  them,  finish  the  work  you  have  be- 
gun in  as  artistic  and  perfect  a  way  as  you  can!  " 

I  was  cautious,  I  didn't  come  out  as  I  wanted  to,  so  I 
sez,  "  How  would  it  work!  " 

But  she  sez  agin,  "  It  wouldn't  work  at  all."  Sez 
she,  "  To  describe  the  beauty  of  home  and  love,  and 
child  life  in  marble  and  poem  and  picture,  she  had  to  be 
severed  entirely  from  all  low  and  ignoble  cares." 

"  Low  and  ignoble!  "  sez  I,  for  that  kinder  madded 
me.  "  No  work  a  woman  can  do  is  more  noble  and  ele- 
vatin'  than  to  make  a  beautiful  home  where  lovely  chil- 
dren rise  up  to  call  her  blessed.  Such  a  work  is  copyin* 
below  as  nigh  as  mortals  can  the  work  divine;  for  isn't 
Heaven  depictered  as  our  everlastin'  home,  and  God  the 
Father  as  lovin'  and  carin'  for  His  children  with  ever- 
lastin' love,  countin'  the  hairs  of  their  heads  even,  He 
takes  such  clost  care  of  'em?  " 

"  He  don't  order  us  to  be  shingled,  either,"  spoke  up 
Josiah.  "  He  don't  begretch  the  work  of  countin'  our 
hair." 

I  wunk  at  him  to  be  calm,  for  oh  I  how  cross  his  axent 
wuz,  but  knowin'  that  famine  wuz  the  cause  of  it  I  didn't 
contend,  but  resoomed: 

"  See  how  our  Father  beautifies  and  ornaments  our 
home,  Evangeline,  with  the  glories  of  spring  and  sum- 
mer, fills  it  with  the  perfume  of  flowers,  the  song  of 
birds,  hangs  above  us  His  dark  blue  mantilly  studded 
with  stars,  and  from  the  least  little  mosses  in  hid-away 
nooks  up  to  the  everlastin'  march  of  the  planets,  every 
single  thing  is  perfect  and  in  order.  His  tireless  love 
and  care  never  ceases,  but  surrounds  us  every  moment 
in  the  home  He  makes  and  keeps  up  for  us  below,"  sez  I. 
"  If  a  woman  prefers  to  keep  aloof  from  the  cares  and 


56  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

responsibilities  of  wifehood  and  parenthood,  let  her  do 
so,  but  havin'  assumed  'em  let  her  realize  their  duty  and 
dignity,  for, ' '  sez  I,  * '  to  create  a  true  home,  Evangeline, 
is  worthy  of  all  a  woman's  efforts,  and  in  such  a  cause 
even  brooms  and  dish-cloths  take  on  a  sacred  meaning. ' ' 
But  she  said  that  mops  and  dish-cloths  and  such 
things  wuz  fetters  that  she  could  not  brook.    And  at  that 
moment  the  three  little  imps  all  fell  into  the  room  de- 
mandin'  with  shrieks  and  kicks  sunthin'  or  ruther  that 
their  Ma  couldn't  pay  any  attention  to,  as  she  wuz  ab- 
sorbed in  contemplating  a  slight  thickness  in  a  minute 
part  of  the  butterfly's  wing  on  Sikey's  shoulder,  and  her 
mind  wuz  all  took  up  in  thinkin'  how  could  she  prune 
it  off  without  destroying  the  wing,  it  wuz  so  fragile  and 
yet  so  highly  necessary  to  be  done.    So  havin'  howled 
round  her  for  a  spell  and  tugged  at  her  Greek  robe,  so  I 
see  plain  how  the  dirt  and  rents  come  on  it,  they  hailed 
the  passin'  figger  of  the  hired  girl  in  the  hall  and  pre- 
cipitated themselves  onto  her,  havin'  previously  kicked 
at  the  panels  of  the  door  so  it  almost  parted  asunder,  so 
I  could  see  plain  how  in  a  year's  time  everything  wuz  in 
ruins  outside  and  inside  Nestle  Down,  and  how  imprac- 
ticable it  wuz  that  any  ordinary  person  could  by  any 
possibility  ever  nestle  down  there,  but  Josiah  here  broke 
in  agin: 

"  Evangeline,  how  long  did  your  husband  live?  " 
Sez  she,  liftin'  a  torn  lace  handkerchief  to  her  eyes, 
and  leanin'  up  against  one  of  her  statutes  a  good  deal 
as  I've  seen  Grief  in  a  monument  in  a  mourmn'  piece, 
"  He  lingered  along  for  years,  but  he  wuz  sick  all  the 
time,  he  had  acute  dyspepsia." 

"  I  thought  so,"  said  Josiah,  "  I  almost  knowed  it!  " 
Agin  I  wunk  at  him  to  keep  still,  but  his  arms  wuz 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  57 

folded  over  his  empty  stomach  with  a  expression  of 
agony  on  him,  and  he  answered  my  sithe  with  a  deep 
groan,  and  knowin'  that  I  had  better  remove  him  to 
once,  I  proposed  that  we  should  retire.  But  Evangeline 
wuz  describing  a  most  magnificent  sunset  which  she 
proposed  to  immortalize  in  a  poem,  and  in  spite  of  the 
gripin'  in  my  stomach,  which  had  begun  fearful,  I 
couldn't  help  bein'  carried  away  some  distance  by  her 
eloquent  language. 

Well,  at  my  second  or  third  request  we  retired  and 
went  to  bed.  Our  room  wuz  a  big  empty  lookin'  one, 
the  girl  havin'  lately  started  to  clean  it,  but  prevented 
by  nooraligy,  the  carpet  nails  hadn't  been  took  out  only 
on  two  sides,  and  the  children  had  been  playin'  under  it, 
I  judged  by  the  humps  and  hummocks  under  it.  Josiah 
drawed  out  from  under  it  a  sled,  an  old  boot-jack,  and 
a  Noah's  Ark  that  he  had  stubbed  his  foot  aginst,  and 
I  tripped  and  most  fell  over  a  basket-ball  and  a  crokay 
mallet.  The  wash-stand  had  been  used  by  them,  I 
thought,  for  headquarters  for  the  enemy,  for  some  stuns 
wuz  piled  up  on  it,  a  broken  old  hammer,  a  leather  cov- 
ered ball,  and  some  marbles. 

The  lamp  hadn't  been  washed  for  weeks,  I  judged,  by 
the  mournin'  chimb ly  and  gummed-up  wick,  and  there 
wuz  mebby  a  spunful  of  kerseen  in  the  dirty  bottom  of 
the  lamp.  The  bed  wuz  awful;  the  children  had  used  it 
also  as  a  receptacle  for  different  things.  We  drawed 
out  of  it  a  old  sponge,  a  dead  rat,  crumbs  of  bread  and 
butter,  and  a  pair  of  old  shoes. 

The  girl  who  showed  us  up  said  the  children  had 
played  there  all  the  day  before,  it  bein'  rainy,  but  she 
guessed  we  would  find  everything  all  right.  Not  a  mite 
of  water  in  the  broken  nosed  pitcher,  not  a  particle  of 


58  iSamantha  on  Children's  Eights 

soap,  but  an  old  apple  core  reposed  in  the  dirty  soap 
dish. 

"Well,  I  fixed  things  as  well  as  I  could,  and  we  pulled 
the  soiled,  torn  lace  coverlet  over  us  and  sought  the  re- 
pose of  sleep,  but  in  vain,  awful  pains  in  my  stomach 
attested  to  the  voyalation  of  nater's  laws.  Josiah  wore 
out,  and,  groanin'  to  the  last,  fell  asleep,  for  which  I 
wuz  thankful,  the  oil  burnt  out  to  once,  leavin'  a  souvenir 
of  smoke  to  add  to  the  vile  collection  of  smells,  so  I  lay 
there  in  the  dark  amidst  the  musty  odors  and  suffered, 
suffered  dretful  in  body  and  sperit. 

Amidst  the  gripin'  of  colic  I  compared  this  home  to 
the  home  Marion  had  composed  like  a  rare  poem  of 
beauty,  and  I  bethought  how  much  more  desirable  is  real 
practical  duty  and  beauty  than  the  gauzy  fabric  wrought 
of  imagination,  or  'tennyrate  how  necessary  it  wuz  not  to 
choose  two  masters.  If  one  loved  Art  well  enough  to 
wed  it  and  leave  father  and  mother  for  its  sake,  well  and 
good,  but  after  chosin'  love  and  home  and  children,  how 
necessary  and  beautiful  it  wuz  to  tend  to  them  first  of 
all,  and  then  pay  devotion  to  Art  afterwards. 

Well,  I  couldn't  allegore  much,  I  wuz  in  too  much 
pain,  dyspepsia  lay  holt  of  me  turribly.  But  amidst  its 
twinges  I  remember  wishin'  that  Laurence  Marsh  could 
compare  as  I  had  the  two  homes  and  lives  composed  by 
Marion  and  Evangeline. 

And  then  a  worse  twinge  of  pain  brung  this  thought, 
a  doctor  1  ought  to  have.  A  woman  should  be  allowed 
to  choose  her  own  doctor.  I  said  to  myself  I  will  send 
for  Doctor  Laurence  Marsh  in  the  mornin',  which  I  did. 
Josiah  bein'  skairt  telephoned  to  him  to  come  to  once. 
He  come  on  the  cars,  arrivin'  at  about  ten  A.  M. 

I  guess  I  had  better  hang  up  a  curtain  between  the 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  59 

reader  and  Laurence  Marsh  as  he  stood  in  that  home  con- 
fronted by  Evangeline  Allen  Piddock  and  her  household. 
I  hadn't  told  her  who  I  had  sent  for,  not  havin'  seen 
her  that  mornin',  so  he  see  'em  all  in  a  state  of  nater 
as  it  were. 

Yes,  I  will  hold  up  a  thick,  heavy  curtain  with  Jo- 
siah's  help,  for  I  don't  want  the  reader  to  see  Laurence 
Marshes  face  as  he  looked  about  him  in  the  parlor  and 
up  by  my  bedside— such  a  bedside!  His  face,  as  he  meas- 
ured out  the  medicine,  wuz,  as  Mr.  Byron  sez,  "  a  scroll 
on  which  unutterable  thoughts  wuz  traced."  But, 
amidst  all  his  perturbations  of  mind  and  wrecks  of  airy 
castles  and  dreams,  nothin'  could  prevent  him  from 
bein'  a  good  doctor,  though  owin*  to  a  urgent  hurry,  a 
case  of  life  and  death,  he  said,  he  had  to  return  to  Jones- 
ville  immegiately,  which  he  did. 

But  I  felt  so  much  better  after  takin'  the  tablets  twice 
every  half  hour  that  we  started  home  a  little  after  leven. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  home  never  seemed  so  good,  so 
dear,  and  so  clean  to  me  in  my  hull  life  before,  and  what 
added  to  my  perfect  enjoyment,  jest  as  we  set  down  to  a 
delicious  supper,  cooked  by  my  own  hands,  one  of  the 
singles  brought  over  a  note  to  me  from  Marion.  It  wuz 
a  invitation  to  her  weddin',  which  wuz  to  take  place  the 
next  week. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


HAT  Maggie  said  about  her  makin'  a  change 
kinder  staid  with  me.  Great  is  the  power 
of  suggestion.  She  suggested  it  to  me,  and 
I  passed  on  the  influence  to  my  pardner. 

I  sez,  "  We've  worked  hard,  and  why  not 
rest  off  and  take  a  little  comfort!" 

"  Comfort!  Who  ever  took  any  comfort  a-visitin'I 
Bound  up  in  your  best  clothes  settin*  round  and  talkin' 
polite." 

"  Your  clothes  don't  bind  you,  Josiah,  and  you  know 
I  always  seek  comfort  first,  hopin'  mebby  good  lookin* 
things  may  be  added  unto  me.  And  as  for  politeness, 
you  don't  strain  yourself  much  that  way,  and  I'd  love 
to  see  some  of  these  friends  we  owe  visits  to." 

He  sez,  "  Don't  you  want  to  go  to  Nestle  Down  agin  I  " 
And  I  sez,  "  No,  I  did  all  the  nestlin'  I  wanted  to  once." 

Well,  it  wuz  a  number  of  days  before  he  gin  his  con- 
sent, but  finally  he  did,  and  we  sot  off,  and  our  first  visit 
wuz  to  Alcander  and  Fidelia  Pogram's. 

We  had  been  owin'  'em  visits  for  some  time.  They're 
movin'  planets,  and  revolve  round  considerable,  and  al- 
ways have.  We  are  stars,  Josiah  and  me,  that  are  more 
fixed  in  our  orbits.  It  wuz  on  one  of  Alcanderses  revolu- 
tions (with  of  course  his  satellite  Fidelia  a-revolvin' 
round  him)  that  they  lived  neighbor  to  us  for  over  two 
years,  and  I  got  real  attached  to  Fidelia.  She  is  a  con- 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  61 

scientious,  painstaking  woman,  and  her  husband  is  well 
off,  and  naterally  good-natered  and  well-meanin'.  But 
when  they  wuz  first  married  Fidelia  made  a  Molok  of 
him,  and  burnt  incense  before  him  day  and  night,  burn- 
in'  up  on  that  altar  all  her  own  preferences  and  desires, 
all  her  chances  of  recreation  and  rest,  all  her  own  ideals, 
her  own  loves. 

Never  tryin'  to  lift  herself  up  and  look  abroad  into 
the  sunlight,  and  f oiler  it  out-doors  into  happiness— no; 
she  jest  sot  crouched  before  that  altar  till  her  eyes  got 
dim  with  the  smoke  of  her  sacrifice  and  she  couldn't 
straighten  up.  And  the  cloud  of  incense  she  wuz  offerin' 
up  to  him  from  day  to  day  wuz  so  heavy  between  'em 
that  he'd  lost  sight  of  her;  and  bein'  at  his  feet,  instead 
of  by  his  side  where  she  belonged,  he  couldn't  see  her 
very  well,  and  she  seemed  to  be  quite  a  distance  away 
from  him.  She  had  made  over  by  such  doin's  his  nater- 
ally generous  disposition  into  a  selfish,  overbearin'  one. 
He  wuz  about  as  innocent  as  a  babe  of  the  way  it  wuz 
done,  and  she,  too.  But,  take  it  all  in  all,  she  had  made 
about  the  worst  botch  of  married  life  that  I  had  ever 
seen  made,  and  she  all  the  time  jest  as  conscientious  and 
religious  as  old  Job  or  Zekiel  or  any  of  'em;  and  he,  too, 
thought  that  he  wuz  jest  as  good  as  Obadiah  or  Jonah 
or  Enoch.  And,  what  made  it  seem  still  worse  to  me, 
she  wuz  bringin'  up  her  girl  in  the  same  way. 

Elinor  wuz  goin'  on  twenty-one,  and  had  a  bo,  Louis 
Arnold  by  name.  Her  Ma  had  told  me  about  it  the  year 
before,  and  I  had  noticed  that  Elinor  looked  real  rosy 
and  sweet.  That  wuz  in  the  first  days  of  courtship,  and 
I  could  see  that  the  spell  wuz  upon  her.  The  earth  wuz 
glorified;  the  heavens  bent  down  clost  to  her;  she  and 
Louis  wuz  a-walkin'  through  Eden.  But  the  next  time 


62  fiamantha  on  Children's  Rights 

I  see  Elinor  she  looked  considerable  faded  and  anxious- 
eyed;  for  all  the  world  her  eyes  looked  like  her  Ma's— 
lovin'  and  faithful  as  a  dog's,  and  as  anxious  lookin' 
as  a  dog's  when  it  has  been  doin'  sunthin'  and  expects 
a  whippin'.  I  had  hearn  from  a  neighbor  that  Louis 
wuz  of  late  growin'  cool  in  his  attentions  to  Elinor. 
And  I  felt  bad,  for  I  mistrusted  how  it  wuz  done.  She 
had  sot  him  up  on  such  a  hite  that  he  looked  down  on 
her.  Good  land!  with  her  poster,  he  had  to  look  down 
if  he  see  her  at  all.  The  neighbor  said  that  it  wuz  spozed 
that  Elinor  wuz  goin*  into  a  decline,  and  sez  she: 
"  That  Louis  Arnold  is  a  villian.  He  paid  her  atten- 
tion for  a  year  and  won  her  love,  and  wuz  as  good  as 
engaged  to  her,  and  she  doin'  everything  under  the  sun 
to  keep  his  love,  and  then  he  grew  cool  and  drawed  off. 
He  is  a  villian!  "  she  repeated. 

"  Well,  mebby  there  is  blame  on  both  sides." 

And  agin  she  sez,  ' '  Elinor  did  everything  to  hold  him, 
and  duz  yet,  for  she  still  hopes  to  keep  him." 

And  I  sez,  "  Mebby  she  did  too  much." 

And  the  neighbor  glared  at  me,  and  sez  coldly,  "  I 
don't  understand  you." 

And  I  sez,  "  No,  I  spoze  not."  And  I  didn't  explain 
furder,  nor  she  didn't. 

And  this  neighbor,  bein'  a  sharp-eyed-and-nosed 
woman,  who  evidently  loved  scandal,  sez,  "  Have  you 
hearn  anything  more  about  Fidelia's  troubles?  " 

And  I  sez,  "No." 

And  she  sez,  "  Poor  creeter!  she  is  passin'  through  the 
waters." 

And  I  sez:  "  What  waters?  Has  she  fell  into  the 
creek,  or  has  her  suller  overflowed?  " 

And  then  she  sez,  right  out,  "  Her  hired  girl  gits 


SamantJia  on  Children's  Rights  63 

more  of  her  husband 's  attention  than  she  duz.  Folks 
talk  a  sight!  "  sez  she. 

And  I  sez,  coolly,  "  They  generally  do;  they  mostly 
make  out  not  to  lose  the  use  of  their  tongues  by  tyin' 
'em  to  their  teeth." 

And  I  wouldn't  ask  a  word  more;  but  she  went  on: 
"  Everybody  sez  Minnie  acts  more  like  the  mistress  of 
the  house  than  Fidelia  duz,  dressed  up  and  loiterin' 
round;  though  they  do  say  that  she  is  faithful  and  hon- 
est; but  Fidelia  duz  the  hardest  of  the  work  herself,  and 
folks  say  that  Minnie  eats  with  them,  and  if  anything 
is  wanted  Fidelia  gits  up  and  gits  it,  and  Minnie  sits 
like  a  lady." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  most  probable  that  is  Fidelia's  fault. 
She  wouldn't  do  it  unless  she  wuz  a  fooll  "  sez  I. 

"  And  some  one  told  me,"  sez  the  neighbor,  "  that 
hearn  it  from  one  that  wuz  knowin'  to  it,  that  Alcander 
had  been  known  to  pay  Minnie  compliments  on  her  good 
looks  and  pretty  dresses  and  find  fault  with  Fidelia." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  that  is  nothin'  but  human  man-nater; 
they  will  always  find  fault  with  their  wives  in  preference 
to  other  wimmen;  they're  built  in  jest  that  way,  and 
mebby  they  can't  help  it.  I  spoze  mebby  they  think 
that  they're  complimentin'  'em,  payin'  attention  to  'em; 
men  are  so  gueer." 

And  agin  she  looked  real  meanin',  and  sez,  "  Well, 
folks  talk  a  sight." 

And  I  sez  agin,  "  They  most  generally  'do." 

Well,  Fidelia  Pogram  wuz  dretful  glad  to  see  me,  and 
so  wuz  Elinor.  Alcander,  owin'  to  the  course  of  treat- 
ment he  had  had,  acted  some  hauty,  bein'  I  wuz  a  woman 
—Fidelia's  fault,  every  mite  on't.  Alcander  wuz  warm- 
hearted when  he  wuz  married,  and  liked  wimmen  jest  as 


64  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

well  as  he  did  men— and  better,  too,  his  wife  bein'  a 
woman.  Well,  I  see  in  a  minute  that  Elinor  looked  bad, 
holler-eyed,  pale,  wan,  and  some  stoopin'  in  the  shoul- 
ders (but  of  that  more  anon).  Well,  they  hurried  round 
and  got  a  good  supper.  Fidelia  is  a  splendid  cook  and 
duz  all  the  cookin',  for  Alcander  likes  her  cookin'  better 
than  he  duz  anybody  else's;  and  Fidelia,  bein'  so  anx- 
ious to  please  him,  duz  it  all,  every  mite;  and  he  thinks 
that  Fidelia  duz  up  his  shirt  bosoms  better,  and  so  she 
irons  all  the  fine  clothes;  and  Alcander  finds  a  sight  of 
fault  if  the  house  hain't  kep'  jest  so;  and,  Minnie  not 
bein'  a  nateral  housekeeper,  Fidelia  jest  slaves  round  all 
the  time,  cleanin'  and  pickin'  up,  and  looks  fagged  out 
and  tired  and  worn  all  the  time,  and  the  hired  girl  pert 
and  rosy;  and  Alcander  paid  her  a  compliment  on  her 
good  looks,  and  wished  right  before  me  that  Fidelia 
could  look  more  like  Minnie,  and  Minnie  bridled  up  and 
looked  tickled,  and  Fidelia's  head  drooped  like  a  droop- 
in'  dove's.  And  I  don't  know  when  I  have  been  madder, 
both  as  a  friend  and  as  a  woman. 

And  I  spoke  right  up,  and  sez,  *  *  Mebby  if  Minnie  had 
been  in  the  kitchen  over  a  hot  stove,  and  br'iled  the 
steak  and  creamed  the  potatoes  and  made  the  coffee, 
and  if  Fidelia  had  been  out  on  the  piazza  part  of  the 
time,  mebby  she  would  have  looked  more  fresh. ' '  I  had 
seen  Minnie  there  half  of  the  time  she  wuz  a-settin'  the 
table,  a-leanin'  over  the  railin',  actin'  lazy  and  uppish. 

"  But,"  sez  Alcander  coolly,  "  Fidelia  prefers  to  do 
the  cookin'." 

"  Yes,"  sez  Fidelia  faintly— for  she  wuz  wore  out— 
"  yes,  I  prefer  to." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "if  you  do,  it  is  the  least  we  can  do, 
who  enjoys  your  delicious  supper,  to  be  thankful  to  you, 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  65 

and  sorry  that  you  have  wore  yourself  out  for  our  en- 
joyment." Fidelia's  cheeks  flushed  and  her  eyes  bright- 
ened at  the  unusual  thing  of  a  word  of  praise  bein'  gin 
to  her;  and  the  hired  girl  looked  mad  and  black;  and 
Alcander  looked  on  with  perfect  wonder  at  the  turn 
things  had  took,  and  spoke  quite  soft  to  Fidelia,  and  she 
brightened  up  still  more. 

Sez  he,  "  Nobody  can  cook  a  steak  equal  to  Fidelia." 

And  my  Josiah  looked  real  tempersome,  and  as  if  he 
wuz  a-goin'  in  to  combat  for  my  rights  as  a  stak'ist. 
But  I  spoke  right  up  and  sez: 

"  That  is  so,  Alcander.  Fidelia  is  one  of  the  most 
splendid  cooks  in  the  county,  and  you  must  be  proud 
of  her,  and  do  all  you  can  to  make  her  rest  and  recreate 
between  meals,  jest  out  of  gratitude  to  the  one  that 
furnishes  such  delicious  food." 

He  looked  kinder  cheap;  and  Fidelia  looked  troubled, 
for  she  mistrusted  that  there  wuz  a  shadder  of  blame 
bein'  cast  onto  Alcander;  but  I  changed  the  subject, 
like  a  good  mistress  of  ticktacks. 

"  I  spoze,  Elinor,  you  have  read  the  last  great  book 
of ?  "  and  I  named  a  book  very  upliftin',  and  be- 
loved by  young  wimmen. 

"  No,"  she  said;  she  hadn't  much  time  for  readin', 
she  wuz  so  busy  makin'  Christmas  gifts. 

Sez  Fidelia,  proudly,  "  Elinor  has  hem-stitched  twen- 
ty-two fine  linen  han 'kerchiefs  for  the  aunts  and  cousins 
on  both  sides,  and  made  home-made  lace  to  trim  them 
with  out  of  one-hundred-and-twenty  thread." 

And  I  sez,  "  I  don't  know  that  there  wuz  any  thread 
so  fine." 

"  Yes,"  sez  Fidelia;  "  it  looks  like  a  cobweb;  and  out 
of  that  same  thread  she  has  made  twenty  yards  of  that 


66  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

lace  to  trim  underclothes  for  her  two  sister-in-laws." 

"  Isn't  it  bad  for  her  eyes,  Fidelia?  "  sez  I,  lookin' 
at  the  worn,  red  eyelids  of  Elinor. 

"  Yes,"  sez  Fidelia,  "  it  wuz  very  hard  on  her;  but 
she  wanted  to  do  it,  for  she  thought  they  would  prize 
'em  higher;  and  then,"  sez  Fidelia,  "  she  has  made 
two  dozen  doilies  for  Louis'  mother  out  of  that  same 
thread." 

"  How  long  did  it  take  you  to  do  it?  "  sez  I  dryly. 

"  Oh,"  sez  she,  "  I  had  them  for  work  all  summer; 
I  begun  'em  the  1st  of  June,  so  I  could  be  sure  to  get 
them  done  for  Christmas.  I  think  that  I  could  have 
done  them  in  two  months  if  I  had  worked  all  the  time." 

And  I  sez  to  myself,  all  these  long  golden  summer 
hours,  sweet  with  bird-song,  fragrant  with  flowers  and 
beauty,  she  had  sot  over  her  one-hundred-and-twenty 
thread  patiently  weavin'  cobwebs,  hopin'  mebby  to 
ketch  Happiness  in  it;  but  'tennyrate  doin'  this  slow 
work,  stitch  by  stitch,  and  lettin'  all  the  beauty  and 
glory  of  summer  and  life  go  by.  For  I  begun  to  see 
plainer  than  ever  why  Louis  Arnold  wuz  a  defaulter  in 
the  bank  of  love. 

"  Afterwards  in  her  room,"  sez  Fidelia,  "  I  want  you 
to  see  the  slippers  she  has  embroidered  for  Louis— I 
never  see  the  beat  of  it;  they  are  so  fine  you  can't  tell 
where  the  stitches  are  put;  each  one  took  her  three 
weeks  of  stiddy  work;  they  are  a  design  of  pink  roses  on 
a  sky-blue  ground." 

Sez  I,  "  She  could  have  bought  a  pair  for  five  dollars 
that  would  have  done  jest  as  well,  and  I  would  have 
loved  to  have  seen  some  of  the  pink  roses  on  her  cheeks, 
and  some  of  the  bright  sky-blue  in  her  eyes.  They  used 
to  look  like  bits  of  the  sky  peeping  out  of  rosy  clouds." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  67 

(Them  wuz  her  cheeks  in  metafor.)  "  But  they  look 
faded  now,  Fidelia,"  sez  I— "  dretful  faded  and  wore 
out." 

"  Yes,"  sez  she,  "  she  has  injured  her  eyesight  this 
summer— injured  it  a  sight.  She  has  sot  up  till  mid- 
night, night  after  night,  workin',  for  fear  she  wouldn't 
git  'em  done  in  time.  And  then,"  sez  she,  bustin'  out 
into  a  confidential  tone,  "  she  has  cried  a  good  deal. 
Oh,  Samantha,"  sez  she,  "  you  don't  know  how  much 
that  girl  is  a-sufferin'.  ,There  she  is,  jest  the  same  as 
engaged,  and  she  jest  as  faithful  as  the  north  star  to 
the  pole,  and  he  growin'  cool  all  the  time  and  indiffer- 
ent." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  the  stiddy  faithfulness  of  the  star 
can't  be  changed,  Fidelia,  nor  the  coldness  of  the  north 
pole,  for  it  is  the  nater  of  that  pole  to  be  frigid,  and  we 
can't  do  anything  to  warm  it  up.  But,"  sez  I,  "  as  for 
this  matter  of  Elinor  and  Louis  Arnold,  I  believe  my 
soul  that  I  could  make  a  change  in  their  doin's  if  I  had 
my  way*" 

11  Oh,  dear  Samantha  1  Could  you,  could  you?  "  sez 
Fidelia,  a-wipin'  up  her  tears  and  lookin'  some  brighter. 

"  But,"  sez  I,  sort  of  lookin'  off  mentally  some  dis- 
tance, "  it  hain't  no  ways  likely  that  she  would  do 
what  I  would  want  her  to." 

11  Oh,  she  would!  "  sez  Fidelia. 

"  I  would,  I  would!  "  cried  Elinor,  advancin'  from 
behind  the  porchair.  "  Forgive  me;  I  wuz  behind  the 
curtain  a-catchin'  the  last  daylight  on  these  slippers, 
and  I  overheard  your  talk.  I  will  do  jest  as  you  say, 
for  my  heart  is  breakin',  Aunt  Samantha,"  sez  she. 
They  always  auntied  and  uncled  us,  our  children  did, 
Fidelia's  and  mine.  "  I  will  do  jest  what  you  tell  me 


68  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

to,"  sez  she,  standin'  before  me,  tears  streamin'  down 
her  white  cheeks,  her  work-box  in  one  hand,  and  the 
oncompleted  slipper  a-danglin'  in  the  other. 

"  Well,**  sez  I,  "  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  put  them 
aside,"  sez  I,  motionin'  to  the  slippers,  two- thirds  of 
which  wuz  not  done;  "  and  them,  too,"  sez  I,  p'intin'  to 
the  delicate  cobweb-work  hangin*  over  the  sides  of  her 
work-basket. 

"  Lay  them  aside!  "  sez  she,  in  wonderin',  horrer- 
struck  axents;  "  these  Christmas  gifts?  " 

And  I  leaned  back  in  my  chair  and  looked  indiffer- 
ent, and  sez  I,  "  I  knew  you  wouldn't  do  what  I  wanted 
you  to." 

"  Oh,  I  will,  I  will  I  "  sez  she.  "  I  will  do  it."  And 
she  went  to  a  side  table  and  laid  the  work-basket  on  it 
and  throwed  a  scarf  over  it.  I  see  she  meant  bizness, 
and  she  come  back  and  sot  down  on  a  low  stool  at  my 
feet  and  leaned  her  pretty  head  against  my  knee,  and 
I  smoothed  down  the  clusterin'  curls  on  her  pale  for- 
ward and  went  on. 

"  Now,"  sez  I,  "  the  first  thing  you  do,  you  go  to  the 
book-store  and  buy  a  handsome  copy  of  '  Is  Marriage 
a  Failure?  '  for  Louis  Arnold,  and  some  other  nice  book 
or  piece  of  useful  silver-ware  for  his  mother.  Wrop 
these  oncompleted  gifts  up  in  silk  paper  and  put  them 
in  the  draw;  and  as  you  shet  that  draw  up,  shet  up  in 
it  all  your  cares  and  anxieties  for  Christmas;  keep  in 
your  mind  only  the  beauty  and  blessedness  of  the  day, 
and  its  holy  and  hallowed  meanin*.  Keep  this  cobweb- 
work  you  have  done  for  yourself  as  a  motto  that  means 
*  I  will  never  do  it  agin,'  and  buy  of  some  poor  girl  that 
wants  the  money  some  of  this  hem-stitchin'  and  tattin' 
and  drawn-work  you  want  for  your  relations,  and  do 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  69 

them  up,  ready  to  send  away,  and  put  them  in  draws; 
and  when  you  shet  up  them  draws,  shet  up  all  anxieties 
for  them.  Then,"  sez  I,  "  all  this  off  your  mind,  bathe 
your  wore-out  eyes  and  pale  face  in  some  good  pure 
water,  go  to  bed  at  nine,  and  get  up  in  the  early  mornin' 
fresh  and  vigorous,  and  go  out  into  the  sunlight  and 
drink  down  the  sweet  air  like  a  healin'  cordial." 

The  weather  wuz  wonderful  for  October;  Injun  sum- 
mer had  made  the  country  beautiful;  the  roads  wuz 
hard  and  smooth  as  summer  roads.  Sez  I,  "  Forgit  all 
your  cares,  put  on  the  pretty  short  dress  you  used  to 
wear,  and  go  out  for  a  long  ride." 

"  Oh,"  sez  she,  "  I  don't  ride  the  wheel  any  more." 

"  Why?  "  sez  I  wonderin'ly. 

"  Oh,  Louis  don't  like  to  have  me.  He  thinks  it  is 
old-fashioned  and  unladylike  and  unwomanly." 

"  Don't  he  ride!  "  sez  L 

"  Oh,  yes— he  has  to  for  his  nerves.  He  has  an  auto, 
but  he  thinks  that  ridin'  a  wheel  almost  cured  him.  He 
used  to  be  dretful  nervous  and  weak.  He  can't  bear 
bein'  shut  up  in  the  house  all  the  time." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  didn't  you  think  that  it  helped  you 
to  ride?  Your  Ma  told  me  that  you  felt  like  a  new 
creature  after  you  had  had  your  wheel  for  a  month." 

"  Oh,  yes,  Aunt  Samantha,"  sez  she,  "  it  did  help 
me  more  than  I  can  tell,  and  you  don't  know  how  I  have 
missed  it;  I  have  felt  that  it  would  have  been  such  a 
help  to  me  while  I  was  makin'  these  Christmas  gifts." 

"  Well,  why  under  the  sun  and  moon,  to  say  nothin' 
of  the  stars  and  meteors,  haven't  you  kept  on  with  what 
you  knew  helped  you  so?  " 

11  Oh,  Louis  doesn't  approve  of  my  ridin',  and  he 
wuz  bitterly  opposed  to  my  wearin'  short  skirts;  he 


70  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

considered  it  immodest,  and  I  had  jest  about  as  soon 
not  go  at  all  as  to  go  in  my  long  skirts.  The  last  time 
I  rode,  to  please  Louis  I  wore  my  long  dress,  and  right 
in  the  middle  of  the  village  my  dress  wound  round  the 
wheel,  and  it  wound  my  dress  right  up  offen  me,  and  I 
fell  over  onto  my  head.'* 

"  I  suppose  he  considered  that  more  modest?  "  sez 
I,  dry  as  a  chip. 

"  He  is  dretful  opposed  to  short  skirts, "  sez  she; 
"  he  talked  awful  to  me  about  'em." 

"  Why  don't  you  insist  on  his  wear  in'  his  bath-robe 
on  his  wheel?  Let  him  try  it  once,  and  then  see.  Why 
didn't  you  say  that  you  wuz  shocked  at  the  sight  of  his 
long  limbs,  and  favored  the  Eastern  garb  for  men? 
Your  dress  wuz  modest  and  mejum,  it  come  to  the  tops 
of  your  shoes,  and  you  wore  a  divided  skirt  of  the  same 
cloth;  you  can  tell  him,  from  me,  your  dress  wuz  jest 
twice  as  modest  as  his'n." 

"  Oh,"  sez  she,  "  I  wouldn't  think  of  criticism'  his 
dress." 

11  Why  not,  as  long  as  he  criticises  yours?  But  as 
for  your  dress  and  his'n,  they're  both  all  right.  And 
now  do  you,  within  the  next  fifteen  minutes,  don  that 
garb,  and  go  out  on  that  wheel  and  take  a  good  long 
ride." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  feel  as  though  I  could  go  right  against 
his  wishes.  I  have  done  everything  I  could  to  hold 
his  love." 

"You  have  done  too  much,"  sez  I  coolly.  "And 
now,  Elinor  Pogram,  do  you  brace  up  and  have  a  little 
gumption.  Get  right  onto  your  wheel  and  go  out  into 
the  sweet  air  and  sunlight;  and  if  you  meet  Louis  Ar- 
nold, jest  nod  at  him  cool  as  a  cowcumber,  and  go  right 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  71 

on  and  foller  it  up  next  day  and  next,  or  as  long  as  good 
weather  lasts. 

11  I  believe  you  rusted  and  tired  out  your  faculties 
bendin'  over  your  fine  work  from  day  to  day,  and  he 
didn't  find  your  companionship  exhilaratin'  and  in- 
spirin'  at  all.  He  is  a  bright  chap,"  sez  I,  "  you  know, 
and  he  will  seek  bright,  inspirin'  company." 

She  looked  up  gratefully  as  I  abused  her  and  ex- 
cused Louis,  in  a  real  womanly  way,  and  left  the  room 
to  put  on  her  short  bicycle  rig.  It  wuz  dark  blue 
braided  with  white,  and  a  coquettish  little  white  cap 
with  some  black  feathers  stuck  up  real  cute  on  one  side, 
and  she  looked  as  pretty  as  a  pink— a  white  pink— and 
real  cunnin'  as  she  sot  off.  Well,  she  come  back  lookin' 
perter  considerable;  she  hadn't  met  Louis,  but  she  had 
met  the  sunshine  and  soft  autumn  air,  and  they  had 
invigorated  her. 

The  next  mornin'  I  went  with  her,  at  her  request, 
to  git  the  books  and  presents  I  had  named,  and,  at  my 
request,  they  wuz  locked  up  at  12  M.,  and  backaches 
and  eye-smarts  and  fevered  anxieties  and  pricked  finger- 
ends  with  'em.  And  at  3  P.  M.  she  sot  off  agin  on  her 
wheel.  This  time  she  come  back  lookin'  considerable 
white  around  her  lips,  but  her  eyes  bright  and  cheeks 
rosy,  after  all;  she  had  met  Louis  and  done  what  I  told 
her,  and  left  him  in  such  a  state  of  complete  stupefica- 
tion  she  wuz  alarmed  about  him.  Sez  she  anxiously, 
"  His  looks  wuz  so  wonder-struck  and  alarmed  that  I 
fear  for  his  safety;  I  fear  that  he  may  be  led  to  extreme 
lengths,"  sez  she. 

"  Wuz  he  on  his  wheel?  "  sez  I. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  he  wuz  on  his  wheel,  and  the 
picture  of  health  and  strength." 


72  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

"  And  so  will  you  be,"  sez  I,  "  now  you  have  laid 
aside  your  eye-harrowing  nerve-destroyin'  needle- work; 
and  when  I  say  this,  understand  distinctly  that  I  might 
applaud,  though  I  pitied,  your  work  if  it  earned  you 
your  livelihood.  But  in  your  case  it  is  needless,  and 
so  I  have  said  lay  it  aside;  there  is  no  fear  but  that 
you  will  perform  all  the  domestic  duties  you  ort  to,  for 
it  is  in  your  nater,  and  you  will  resoom  your  music  and 
books,  for  you  will  want  to  get  brightness  from  them; 
but  be  out,  care-free,  under  the  blue  heavens  all  you 
can.  Respect  yourself,  and  insist  on  bein'  respected. 
Be  thoughtful  of  Louis*  rights,  and  insist  on  his  bein' 
thoughtful  of  yours;  respect  his  opinions  so  fur  as  you 
can  consistently;  but  as  for  his  selfishness  and  whims, 
git  onto  your  wheel  and  ride  right  through  'em.  If  you 
are  to  walk  through  life  together,  stand  up  straight  by 
his  side;  don't  crouch  at  his  feet  doin'  drawn-work 
and  tattin'  all  your  days;  he  will  like  you  enough  sight 
better.  If  you  find  him  worthy,  and  you  are  to  be  his 
wife,  make  his  home  the  most  delightful  place  on  earth 
—a  clean,  sweet  restin '-place  from  the  toils  of  life  and 
a  shelter  from  its  storms;  but  don't  burn  up  your 
own  individuality  as  incense  before  him;  keep  it  to 
make  his  home  more  charmin'  than  any  other.  Make 
him  love  you  for  your  sweet  love  and  care  for  him; 
make  him  admire  you  for  your  thought  and  care  for 
yourself;  use  a  lot  of  common  sense  in  the  receipt  of 
married  life,  and  mejumness,  use  that  lavish,  and  you'll 
git  along  first  rate." 

Well,  they  urged  me  to  stay  a  week  or  so;  and  Josiah 
havin'  bizness  to  'tend  to  right  there,  we  gin  consent. 
Elinor  kep'  on  jest  as  I  had  planned,  and  stimulated 
by  the  example  of  plain  common  sense  right  before 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  73 

her  eyes,  Fidelia  braced  up  and  began  to  use  some  com- 
mon sense  and  some  mejumness  herself.  She  spoke  out 
of  her  own  accord  one  afternoon,  and  sez  she: 

"  I  have  three  night-shirts  done,  embroidered  for  Al- 
cander,  and  I  am  not  goin'  to  make  any  more  of  them 
for  Christmas;  and  you,  Minnie,"  sez  she,  turnin'  to  the 
pert-faced  domestic,  "  you  may  wash  them  and  do  them 
up  the  next  time  you  wash." 

"  Why,"  sez  Minnie,  "  I  can't  do  the  washin'  and 
ironin'  as  well  as  you  can,  Mis'  Pogram.  Mr.  Pogram 
won't  like  my  ironin',  I  am  sure." 

"  Well,  he  will  have  to  stand  it,"  sez  Fidelia,  lookin' 
some  pale,  but  real  decided;  "  and  when  you  broil  the 
steak  for  supper,  Minnie,  be  sure  you  don't  burn  it; 
have  a  hot  platter  ready  for  it,  and  put  on  the  butter 
and  pepper  and  salt  even,  and  bring  it  to  the  table 
pipin'  hot." 

The  girl's  hauty  feathers  seemed  to  droop,  and^she 
spoke  more  respectful  to  Fidelia  than  I  had  hearn  her 
speak,  and  sez  she,  "  I  will  do  my  best,  mom." 

And  sez  Fidelia,  "  If  Mr.  Pogram  comes  here  before 
we  do,  tell  him  that  Joeiah  Allen's  wife  and  I  have  gone 
out  for  a  long  drive." 

In  my  inmost  heart  I  said,  "  Bravo,  Fidelia!  bravo!  " 
But  outside  I  only  said,  "  I  shall  be  real  glad  to  have 
a  good  long  drive  with  you,  Fidelia;  it  will  put  me  in 
mind  of  old  times." 

So  Fidelia  ordered  her  pony  and  low  phaeton  brought 
to  the  door  and  we  sot  off.  It  wuz  a  very  comfortable 
carriage,  cushioned  with  blue.  I  see  that  Alcander  did 
his  part  by  Fidelia  in  furnishin'  comforts  and  luxuries 
for  her,  only,  bein'  so  much  engaged  in  incense-burnin' 
and  embroidery,  she  couldn't  take  advantage  of  'em.  As 


74  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

I  lay  back  on  the  soft  cushions  my  mind  roved  off  on 
the  strange  turn  things  had  took,  and  I  wondered  if 
it  wuz  the  atmosphere  of  my  strong  desire  and  good- 
will to  help  her  that  had  stimulated  Fidelia  to  use  a 
little  common-sense;  for  I  had  not  said  a  word  to  her 
about  her  affairs  and  Alcanderses.  I  knew  that  high, 
clear  mountain  air  would  do  wonders  for  sick  folks  in 
a  short  time,  and  I  knew  that  my  will  to  help  her  tow- 
ered up  perfectly  mountainous  and  high,  and  I  spoze 
mebby  it  braced  her  up.  We  mortals  are  such  strange 
creeters  anyway  that  we  can't  really  understand  how 
things  be  thus  and  so.  But,  'tennyrate,  as  we  rolled 
along  the  pleasant  country  roads,  under  trees  orange 
and  scarlet  and  gold-colored,  sweet  with  the  birds7  late 
songs,  out  into  sunny  stretches  of  open  country  roads, 
sun-glorified,  and  further  embellished  on  either  side  by 
cozy  homesteads  and  loftier  mansions,  and  anon  long 
green  meadows  stretchin'  away  to  green  woods  and 
tree-covered  hills,  with  a  tender  haze  hangin*  about 
'em— as  our  phaeton  rolled  noiselessly  on  through  the 
soft,  sweet  Injun-summer  air,  Fidelia's  cheeks  got  to 
lookin'  considerable  pink,  and  her  faded  eyes  bright- 
ened up  considerable,  and  her  faculties  seemed  to  sort 
o'  wake  up,  and  she  acted  brighter  than  I  had  seen  her 
act  for  upwards  of  ten  years. 

Well,  supper  wuz  all  ready  when  we  got  home.  Fi- 
delia had  only  jest  time  to  go  to  her  room  and  pin  a 
pink  bow  onto  the  bosom  of  her  dress,  but  I  don't  know 
when  I  have  seen  her  look  so  well.  Alcander  noticed 
it  in  a  minute.  He  looked  quite  admirin'  at  her;  and 
though  the  steak  might  not  have  been  so  delicious  as 
Fidelia's,  yet  her  directions  had  been  carried  out,  and 
it  wuz  good  enough.  'Tennyrate,  Alcander  seemed  to 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  75 

enjoy  his  supper  the  best  that  ever  wuz,  for  he  and  Fi- 
delia wuz  talkin'  together  in  a  way  I  hadn't  hearn  'em 
for  years.  And  take  Fidelia  when  she  wuzn't  so  wore 
out  burnin'  incense,  and  br'ilin'  steaks  and  chops  and 
chickens,  and  drawin'  threads  out  of  fine  linen  and 
workin'  'em  in  agin,  she  wuz  a  smart  woman  and  very 
agreeable  companion. 

Minnie,  I  noticed,  had  retired  more  into  the  back- 
ground, as  it  were;  she  waited  on  the  table  with  a  dif- 
ferent air,  less  as  if  she  wuz  the  mistress  of  ceremonies, 
and  more  as  if  she  wuz  the  helper  instead  of  the  giver 
of  the  feast. 

Well,  it  wuz  on  the  fifth  day,  as  Alcander  and  Fidelia 
and  I  wuz  a-drivin'  along  through  the  soft  air  in  the 
luxurious  easy  carriage,  behind  two  prancin'  horses, 
real  happy  and  contented,  and  talkin'  good-naturedly, 
who  should  we  meet  but  two  young  folks  in  a  runabout! 
The  young  man  wuz  bendin'  fondly  over  the  young 
woman,  so  engrossed  in  conversation  that  they  didn't 
notice  our  presence  till  we  got  almost  up  to  them.  Then 
they  looked  up,  and  we  see  that  it  wuz  Elinor  and  Louis 
Arnold.  But  wuz  it  Elinor?  Yes,  it  wuz.  But  what  a 
change  from  the  pale,  hollow-eyed  drawn-work  stitcher! 
Her  cheeks  were  pink,  and  happiness  sparkled  in  her 
soft  blue  eyes  like  two  bright  stars  becalmed  in  the  June 
heavens.  They  had  made  up,  and  Louis  Arnold  looked 
handsome  and  happy  and  contented. 

Well,  I  told  Fidelia,  the  next  day,  that  as  Josiah  had 
got  his  business  done,  I  guessed  I  wouldn't  stay  any 
longer,  and  she  bust  right  out  a-cryin'  onto  my  shoulder 
(it  wuz  a  gray  outin '-cloth,  and  I  knew  that  it  would 
wash,  SQ  I  didn't  care). 


76  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

And  sez  she,  "  My  preserver,  how  can  I  have  you 
go?" 

And  Elinor,  who  wuz  in  the  room,  throwed  herself 
onto  my  other  shoulder,  and  her  tears  drizzled  down 
onto  my  shoulder-blade  (but  agin  the  thought  calmed 
me  that  the  colors  wuz  fast). 

Sez  Elinor,  "  You  have  preserved  my  happiness;  you 
have  dragged  me  back  from  the  very  brinks  of  ruin." 

"  And  me,  too!  "  sez  Fidelia. 

And  I  sez  gently,  extricatin'  myself  from  the  four 
encirclin'  arms:  "  Oh,  shaw!  you  have  preserved  your- 
selves, and  drawed  yourselves  back  by  the  cords  of 
common-sense  and  mejumness.  And  now,"  sez  I,  in 
confidence,  "  ere  we  part,  let  me  adjure  you  to  cling 
to  them  two  strings,  and  cling  hard.  Use  common-sense 
day  by  day,  be  good  and  true  to  them  you  love,  and  be 
good  and  true  to  yourselves;  brace  up,  have  gumption, 
and  may  Heaven  bless  you!  "  sez  I,  and  I  turned  away 
and  begun  to  pack  my  night-gown  and  barred-muslin 
night-cap  into  my  satchel-bag. 


CHAPTER  V 

OSIAH  wuz  in  a  hurry  to  git  home,  but  I 
persuaded  him  to  stop  for  a  day  at  Dr. 
Phillip  Rhode's,  who  married  she  that  wuz 
Dora  Peak,  daughter  of  my  cousin  on  my 
own  side. 

I  think  everything  of  Dora  and  she  of  me,  visey 
versey,  for,  if  I  say  it  that  shouldn't,  I  helped  her 
more'n  considerable  to  her  present  state  of  health,  hap- 
piness, and  common  sense,  and  I  spoze  mebby  you'd 
like  to  know  about  it.  It's  quite  a  long  story,  but  I 
can  tell  it  if  it's  best.  It  wuz  about  a  year  ago  that 
Albina  Peak,  Dora's  mother,  come  to  Jonesville  on  a 
errent,  a  important  one. 

I  wuz  standin'  before  the  winder  washin'  my  dishes 
and  lookin'  out  on  the  great  waves  of  pink  and  green 
that  wuz  spread  out  in  front  of  me  (the  orchard  wuz 
in  full  bloom  and  promisin'  a  grand  fruit  year),  and  I 
seemed  to  sort  o'  float  away  on  them  waves  into  the 
past,  layin'  firm  holt  of  the  present,  too,  and  my  clean 
linen  dish-cloth,  as  folks  can  in  their  most  romantick 
moods,  if  they've  got  any  gumption— when  all  of  a 
sudden  Albina  Ann  Peak  arrived.  We  hadn't  seen  each 
other  much  of  late  years,  for  she  lived  in  the  city,  but 
she  wuz  a  third  cousin  of  mine,  and  we  used  to  go  to 
school  together  up  in  the  old  Rizley  school-house,  and 
she  sort  o'  leaned  on  me  for  strength  and  help  in  long 
division.  She  wuz  dretful  romantick  and  dreamy  in 


78  Samawtha  on  Children's  Rights 

them  days,  and  devoured  pickles  and  poetry  enormously. 
But  she  sot  store  by  me,  and  in  the  time  of  trouble  I 
spoze  she  thought  on  me  and  kinder  wanted  to  lean 
agin,  her  husband,  who  wuz  a  man  of  common  sense 
and  some  property,  havin'  passed  away  some  years  be- 
fore. 

Albina  Ann  said  that  the  doctor  said  her  daughter, 
Dora,  couldn't  possibly  live  only  a  few  months  unless 
she  got  help,  and  it  wuz  a  mysterious  inward  disorder 
she  had,  though  the  doctor  had  named  it  a  strange, 
strange  name  that  seemed  to  scare  Albina  Ann  most  to 
death,  she  couldn't  remember  what  it  wuz,  she  said  it 
sounded  some  like  Constantinople-Andronopolis,  but 
wuzn't  that,  but  wuz  worse  and  more  skairful,  but  I 
told  her  I  shouldn't  let  any  doctor's  names  skair  me, 
they  didn't  make  nothin'  of  usin'  names  that  wuz  fear- 
ful. Then  she  told  me  that  with  all  this  sickness  wuz 
love-sickness  added,  and  for  a  poor  dissipated  chap, 
but  good  lookin'  and  fascinating,  and  I  said: 

"  This  is  worse  than  Constantinople-Andronopolis 
enough  sight." 

And  Albina  see,  "  That  hain't  the  name,  but  sounds 
like  it." 

And  I  sez,  "  Well,  it  is  worse  than  anything  that 
sounds  like  anything." 

And  she  sez,  "  Well,  I  want  to  have  it  broke  up,  it 
has  got  to  be  broke  up."  And  she  resoomed,  "I've  got 
to  go  and  see  my  son  Henry's  wife,  who  is  dyin'  with 
fever  at  Denver,  with  twins  added  to  it,  and  he  sick 
a-bed,  too."  And  she  sez,  "  It  seems  as  if  my  troubles 
all  fall  on  me  to  once.  Both  my  children  liable  to  die 
off  at  any  time,  and  my  daughter-in-law  and  the  twins, 
too." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  79 

'And  I  looked  sympathizin'  on  her  and  sez  jest  for  all 
the  world  as  I  used  to  at  school,  "  I  wish  I  could  help 
you  out,  Albina  Ann.'* 

11  That's  jest  what  I've  come  for,"  sez  she;  "  I've 
got  to  go  to  Henry's  for  a  spell,  anyway,"  and  would  I 
for  the  sake  of  old  times,  to  say  nothin'  of  the  ties  of 
third  cousin,  would  I  let  her  poor  sick  girl  come  down 
into  the  country  and  see  if  the  country  air  and  my  care 
would  recuperate  her  up  a  little  mite,  or  if  she  couldn't 
be  helped,  make  the  poor  dear,  dyin'  girl  as  comfortable 
as  I  could?  She  said  money  wuz  no  object  to  her.  And 
I  said  it  wuzn't  no  object  to  me.  And  then  she  said 
she  thought  it  wuz  a  mysterious  Providential  afflic- 
tion to  have  her  beautiful  only  daughter  so  delicate 
and  liable  to  expire  any  minute,  still  she  felt  that  it  wuz 
tough  on  her,  and  she  bespoke  my  sympathy,  jest  as  she 
used  to  git  help  in  her  old  Euger  and  Olney's  gography. 
And  she  asked  me  pintedly  if  I  didn't  think  it  wuz  a 
strange,  strange  dispensation  of  Providence  that  when 
she  wuz  so  abundantly  able  to  care  for  her  only  daugh- 
ter, so  many  poor  girls  wuz  spared  healthy  and  happy, 
and  her  only  girl  seemed  about  to  be  took,  and  sez 
she,  "  She  wuz  a  healthy  baby,  weighed  ten  pounds  at 
first,  but,"  she  added,  "  she  is  so  sweet  and  pure  that 
probable  the  angels  feel  that  they  can't  do  without  her 
society  much  longer." 

And  I  sot  up  on  the  fence,  mentally,  as  it  were  pretty 
straight,  and  didn't  say  yea  or  nay,  knowin'  that  many 
things  wuz  laid  on  Providence  He  wuzn't  to  blame  for. 

Well,  I  told  Albina  Ann,  after  thinkin'  it  over  and 
consultin'  Josiah  out  in  the  hoss  barn,  that  she  might 
send  her  girl  down  for  a  spell  and  I'd  do  the  best  I 
could  for  her.  She  seemed  to  be  real  relieved  when  I 


80  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

told  her,  and  then  bime-bye  we  got  to  talkin'  about  Le 
Flam  agin,  for  that  wuz  the  name  of  the  dissipated 
young  chap  she  had  mentioned,  and  I  told  her  I  ap- 
proved of  her  stand,  for  if  a  man  couldn't  reform  durin' 
the  enchanted  days  of  courtship  what  could  you  expect 
when  married  life  and  its  disillusions  should  take  place, 
late  dinners,  cleanin'  house,  etcetery,  etcetery,  and  in- 
flamatory  rumatiz,  ulcerated  teeth  and  colick? 

But  I  sez  to  Albina  Ann,  "  Why  under  the  sun  did 
you  let  him  come  to  your  house  in  the  first  place,  if 
you  knew  what  he  wuz?  " 

And  she  said  she  always  knew  that  he  wuz  a  poor, 
miserable  creature,  but  she  felt  that  it  would  be  breakin' 
up  the  sweet,  heavenly  atmosphere  of  confidence  that 
had  always  existed  between  her  and  her  only  daughter 
if  she  said  anything  against  Le  Flam  to  her. 

"  You  hain't  spoke  to  her  about  him?  "  sez  I,  in 
wondering  axents. 

"  No,  Cousin  Samantha;  her  heart  seems  to  be  so 
wropped  up  in  him,  and  the  cords  that  connect  her  soul 
to  mine  are  so  linked  in  with  her  girlish  dreams,  that  I 
could  not  bear  to  ruffle  'em,  the  harmony  between  us  has 
always  been  so  heavenly." 

Sez  I,  "  The  harmony  would  be  liable  to  be  ruffled  a 
little  if  you  should  see  her  abused  by  a  dissipated  brute, 
and  she  and  her  children  snaked  round  by  the  hair  of 
their  heads  and  turned  out-doors,  etc." 

"Oh!  oh  I  "  sez  she,  puttin'  up  her  hands,  "  don't 
pierce  my  soul  with  such  agonizin'  thoughts!  " 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  coolin'  down  a  little,  "  the  best  way 
to  escape  such  agony  is  to  use  common  sense  in  the  first 
place.  Why  under  the  sun  didn't  you  stop  her  going 
with  him?  " 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  81 

"  Oh,  her  sweet,  tender  heart  seemed  to  be  set  upon 
him  from  the  first,  and  I  couldn't  bear  to  break  up 
those  sweet  dreams." 

I  begun  to  see  where  the  land  lay;  I  looked  at  Al- 
bina  Ann  sadly.  There  she  sot,  a  full  grown  woman, 
with  a  waist  like  a  pipe  stail  and  shues  with  heels  half 
a  finger  high,  and  tellin'  she  dassent  warn  her  girl 
from  the  evil  to  come. 

But  I  didn't  say  anything  to  add  to  her  agitation,  I 
simply  remarked,  "  Well,  I  never  see  the  time  that  I 
wouldn't  pull  Tirzah  Ann  out  of  the  fire,  if  I  see  her 
blindly  blunderin'  into  it,  or  haul  back  Thomas  J.  from 
precipices.  But  we  hain't  all  made  alike,  and  our  faces 
all  on  'em  are  but  the  faces  of  clay." 

I  never  meant  to  give  her  a  cut  no  more  than  nothin* 
in  the  world,  I  wuz  talkin'  Bible  and  feelin'  riz  up. 

But  I  see  her  lift  her  lace  handkerchief  in  her  tight 
gloved  hand,  and  then  I  see,  her  veil  bein'  up,  that  her 
color  wuzn't  nateral  and  the  hull  complexion  made  up. 
But,  good  land!  I  wuzn't  goin'  to  try  to  make  over  Al- 
bina  Ann  Peak,  she'd  been  made  too  long— she  wuz 
about  my  age— but  I  told  her  she  could  send  Dora  down 
and  I'd  do  the  best  I  could  for  her,  and  she  kissed  me 
good-by  through  her  veil  (a  white  one  with  big,  black 
dots).  I  thought  no  wonder  Albina  Ann's  eyes  has  gin 
put,  she  wuz  most  as  blind  as  a  checkud  adder.  Why, 
if  you'll  believe  it,  she  sot  most  all  day  with  that  veil 
over  her  face.  I  spoze  she  thought  it  wuz  becomin' 
to  her,  but  I  should  jest  as  soon  wore  blinders. 

In  about  ten  days  Dora  come,  Josiah  went  after  her 
with  the  democrat  and  brought  her  and  three  trunks 
and  some  satchels.  When  I  see  them  trunks  I  felt  duber- 
some,  and  mebby  looked  so,  for  thinkses  I,  "  Is  it  a  life 


82  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

job  I've  tackled?  "  but  in  a  minute  I  thought,  "  Why, 
it's  in  her  bringin'  up;  Albina  Ann  wuz  always  changin' 
her  dress,  and  ornamentin'  herself,  and  actin'."  So  I 
met  her  with  cheerfulness  and  kissed  her  on  both 
cheeks,  while  Josiah,  a-groanin',  as  I  could  hear,  tackled 
the  trunks.  I  see  she  wuz  naterally  a  pretty  girl,  but 
looked  wan  and  wapeish,  and  I  didn't  wonder  a  mite  at 
it  when  I  took  close  note  of  the  way  she  wuz  dressed. 

I  had  a  warm  supper  ready,  for  I  thought  she  would 
be  tired  and  hungry.  But  she  couldn't  eat  a  mite,  she 
said,  not  a  mou'ful,  but  I  see  she  had  a  big  empty  candy 
box  in  her  hand,  and  she  owned  up  that  she'd  eat  it  all 
on  her  journey.  And  bime-by  she  told  me  she  had  had 
some  pickled  stuff  that  she  had  brung  for  an  appetite, 
and  they  wuz  all  eat  up. 

Well,  after  she'd  took  her  things  off  I  see  she  wuz  a 
sight  to  behold.  If  her  waist  wuzn't  a  cur'os'ty  then  I 
never  see  one.  Why,  if  I  do  say  it,  and  I'm  a  Methodist 
in  good  standin',  it  wuzn't  much  bigger  than  a  quill— 
a  goose  quill;  of  course  it  wuz  some  bigger,  but  it  is 
within  bounds  to  use  it  for  a  metafor.  The  heels  of  her 
little  pinted  shoes  wuz  more'n  two  and  a  half  inches 
high  and  sot  right  in  the  palm  of  her  foot,  right  on  them 
nerves  that  cause  headache  and  blindness,  and  fits  and 
things,  and  I  knew  by  the  looks  of  them  pinted  toes  that 
no  human  toes  could  possibly  git  into  'em  without  bein' 
all  twisted  up  just  like  a  heathen  Chinee's. 

Well,  I  declare  I  felt  to  weep  almost  when  I  looked  at 
her.  She  wuz  so  weak  that  I  had  to  take  her  right  up 
to  her  room  and  lay  her  out  on  the  bed.  And  I  hefted 
her  dress  and  skirts  after  I'd  helped  her  off  with  'em, 
and  of  all  the  heft  you  ever  see,  why,  it  wuz  astonishin'. 
Her  dress  wuz  tailor-made,  and  embroidered  all  over 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  83 

with  braid,  and  fitted  her  like  a  glove,  but  heavy  as  lead 
almost,  and  jest  a-draggin'  round  her  waist— not  a 
shoulder  strap,  nor  a  button  or  string  or  anything  that 
she  could  divide  the  burden  with;  no,  them  heavy  skirts 
all  a-hangin'  like  millstuns  round  the  little,  spindlin' 
waist,  and  that  so  tight  bound  down  by  a  hard  bone-and- 
steel  cosset  that  it  looked  like  a  prisoner  of  the  deepest 
dye  incarcerated  in  the  closest  confinement.  I  see  when 
she  lay  down,  tired  almost  to  death  and  a-gaspin',  that 
she  didn't  remove  her  cosset;  no,  there  it  wuz,  a-holdin' 
her  in  its  deathly  grip  right  there  on  the  bed,  and  I 
sez,  "  Don't  you  take  off  your  cosset  when  you  lay 
down!  " 

"  No,"  sez  she,  kinder  pantin'  for  breath,  "  Mamma 
thinks  it  hurts  any  one's  form  so  to  lounge  round  with 
cossets  off  that  she  never  allowed  me  to  take  them  off 
when  I  lay  down  in  the  daytime,  and  Aggie  le  Fleur 
wears  hers  all  night,  so  Mamma  said,  and  she  said  that 
she  meant  to  have  me  wear  mine  all  night  when  I  got  a 
little  stronger.  Mamma  sez  that  it  injures  one's  form 
terribly  to  go  without  'em  even  for  an  hour.  It  ruins 
anybody  to  go  without  'em,  so  Mamma  said  and  so  Ag- 
gie le  Fleur  sez." 

"Is  it  possible,"  sez  I;  "  I  never  mistrusted  before 
that  I  wuz  ruined,  and  I've  gone  without  'em  since  long 
enough  before  you  and  that  young  Le  Fleur  woman  you 
speak  of  wuz  anywhere  round  or  thought  on,  and,"  sez 
I,  "if  I  wuz  in  your  place  I'd  run  the  resk  of  bein' 
spilte,  and  take  that  thing  offen  me." 

She  wuz  a  sweet-dispositioned  girl,  I  could  see,  and 
she  consented,  and  she  sot  up  and  exerted  the  hull  of 
her  strength,  and  finally  onhinged  or  onjinted  it  some- 
where and  peeled  it  offen  her.  And  such  a  sithe  of  relief 


84  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

she  gin,  as  she  sunk  down  on  the  bed.  I  felt  dretfully  to 
find  out  by  a  question  or  two  that  the  cosset  left  deep 
marks.  But  still  I  knew  cryin'  and  sympathy  wuzn't 
what  she  needed;  no,  it  wuz  cast-iron  firmness  and  com- 
mon sense.  So  I  took  up  that  instrument  of  agony  some 
as  if  it  wuz  a  snake  and  carried  it  into  the  closet  under 
the  stairs,  and  hung  it  up  and  locked  the  door,  and  sez 
I  in  a  winnin'  way,  "  Now,  my  dear,  you  let  that  hang 
there  for  a  spell  and  see  what  will  come  of  it." 

She  wuz  horrified  at  the  idee,  I  could  see,  but  bein'  of 
such  a  good  disposition  she  crumpled  down  and  bore  it. 

Well,  after  Josiah  and  I  eat  (that  man  wouldn't  wait 
a  minute  for  the  President)  I  got  her  a  good  wholesome 
supper  and  carried  it  up  into  her  room  on  a  tray.  I  had 
a  piece  of  the  breast  of  a  chicken  broiled  and  nice,  some 
delicate  toast,  and  sweet  graham  bread  and  butter,  and 
ripe  strawberries,  and  a  fragrant  cup  of  coffee  not  too 
strong,  and  plenty  of  cream.  It  wuz  a  good  supper.  I 
see  she  looked  disappointed  in  not  havin'  rich  cake  and 
sweetmeats,  but  I  talked  real  cheerful  to  her  about  the 
relations  and  one  thing  and  another,  and,  though  she 
said  she  couldn't  eat  a  mou'ful,  yet  she  did  make  out 
quite  a  meal.  Well,  after  supper  she  put  on  a  tea-gown, 
a  pretty,  white  affair,  and  some  slippers,  and  come 
downstairs,  and  I  see,  though  mebby  she  didn't  think 
I  did,  how  different  she  breathed  and  how  different 
she  looked  when  she  had  her  iron  armor  off.  She  wuz 
a  pretty  girl,  I  see  plain— just  as  pretty  as  a  pink  rosy. 

Well,  that  first  evenin'  about  a  quarter  to  nine  she 
began  to  look  perter  and  sort  of  brightened  up,  and 
I  told  her  so,  and  she  sez,  "  Yes,  Aunt  Samantha,  this 
is  the  hour  that  mamma  begins  to  help  me  dress  to  go 
out." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  85 

"  To  go  out!  "  sez  I;  "  do  you  mean  to  the  barn?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  sez  she;  "  to  go  to  parties." 

"  To  begin  at  nine  o'clock  to  dress  you  to  go  to  par- 
ties! Why,  for  the  land  sakes,  what  time  do  you  git 
home?  " 

"  Well,  usually  before  morning"  sez  she,  "  along 
about  four." 

"  Along  about  four!  "  I  gasped,  "  and  you  don't  git 
any  sleep  nights  until  morning— till  it  is  time  to  git  up! 
For  the  land  sakes!  "  sez  I.  "  What  time  do  you  gen'r-- 
ally  git  up?  " 

"  Well,  usually  before  noon,"  sez  she. 

"  Before  noon!  Why,"  sez  I,  "  at  noon  all  my  work 
is  done  for  the  day  and  I'm  ready  to  sit  down  and  rest, 
and  you  lose  all  them  golden  hours,  full  of  beauty,  in 
bed." 

"  Well,  Aunt  Samantha,"  sez  she,  wantin'  to  please 
me  I  could  see,  wantin'  to  like  a  dog,  "  I've  tried  not 
going  to  bed  at  all,  but  I'm  not  strong  enough  to  go 
entirely  without  sleep." 

"  No,  indeed!  "  sez  I.  "I  should  think  not.  Why, 
a  ox  hain't  strong  enough,  let  alone  a  delicate  young 
girl  like  you." 

"  But,"  sez  she,  liftin'  her  sweet,  innocent  face  to 
mine,  "  what  can  I  do,  then,  Aunt  Samantha?  " 

"  Go  to  bed  at  the  proper  time,"  sez  I.  And  uncon- 
sciously, I  spoze,  I  put  so  much  common  sense  into  my 
axents  that  they  sounded  ha'sh;  she  looked  kinder 
skairt,  and  sez  she: 

"  But,  Aunt  Samantha,  if  I  go  into  society  I  must 
do  as  the  rest  of  'em  do." 

Mekanically  I  lifted  my  eyes  toward  Heaven  and  sez, 


86  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

"  Hain't  there  any  society,  then,  but  the  society  of  fools 
and  lunys?  But  even  a  fool  orter  know  that  mornin'  is 
the  time  to  git  up  instead  of  goin'  to  bed." 

But  she  looked  real  kinder  flustrated  and  helpless,  so 
I  desisted  from  further  remarks  at  that  time,  and  at 
ten  minutes  to  nine  precisely  I  got  up  and  lighted  our 
chamber  lamps  and  Josiah  wound  up  the  clock,  and  I 
sez,  "  Well,  dear,  I  will  go  with  you  to  your  room." 

She  looked  at  the  clock  and  then  at  me  with  a  look 
that  a  female  Hottentot  might  have  if  I  wuz  fastening 
on  skates  for  her  to  dash  out  on  to  a  frozen  lake.  But 
she  didn't  say  anything.  And  I  kinder  whispered  to 
her  on  our  way  upstairs :  "It  would  disturb  your  Uncle 
Josiah  for  us  to  set  up  longer,  and  you  try  goin'  to  bed 
early  and  gettin'  up  early  for  a  spell  and  see  what  it 
will  do  for  you,"  sez  I  encouragingly.  "  I  believe  it 
will  be  just  the  thing  to  put  some  color  into  your  white 
cheeks  and  some  bright  sparkles  into  your  eyes." 

Well,  she  didn't  demur  outwardly,  but  immediately 
begun  to  take  her  hair  down  to  brush  it,  and  I  laid  my 
hand  fondly  on  to  them  long,  golden  waves  that  swep' 
down  below  her  waist,  and  sez  I,  "  I  want  you  to  be 
happy  here,  and  to  be  happy  one  has  to  be  healthy," 
and  I  repeated  partly  to  myself  and  partly  to  her  that 
invaluable  bit  of  advice: 

"  Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise 
Makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy  and  wise." 

And  then  I  see  that  the  toilet  things  wuz  all  right, 
plenty  of  water  and  towels,  and  I  looked  at  the  little 
covered  glass  pitcher  with  fresh  drinking  water  in  it, 
and  see  that  there  wuz  matches  and  candles,  etc.,  and 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  87 

then  sez  I,  "  Is  there  anything  else  you  would  like,  my 
dear?  " 

Well,  she  sort  of  hesitated  and  looked  as  if  most 
afraid  to  ask,  and  then  sez,  "  Well,  Aunt  Samantha,  if 
you've  got  a  piece  of  mince  pie  or  fruit  cake  I  would 
like  to  take  a  bite.  I  sometimes  have  a  sort  of  gnawin' 
at  my  stomach,  and  Mamma  always  keeps  something 
rich  baked  up  for  me;  she  thinks  it's  strengthening  to 
me  to  eat  rich  things,  and  she  always  brings  up  a  plate- 
ful before  I  retire,  with  some  cheese,  or  pickles,  or  dried 
beef;  I  have  got  into  the  habit  of  eating  something  of 
the  kind,  but  I  don't  like  to  make  you  any  trouble," 
sez  she. 

"  Oh,  no  trouble  at  all,"  sez  I;  "  some  folks  can  sleep 
better  after  takin'  a  bite."  And  I  went  down  into  the 
buttery  feelin'  mad  as  a  hen  at  Albina  Ann  and  sorry 
as  a  dog  for  Dora.  And  I  took  a  little  pink  china  bowl 
full  of  good  night's  milk  with  a  little  cream  in  it,  and 
a  slice  or  two  of  my  good,  sweet  graham  bread,  and 
put  'em  on  a  little  Japan  tray  with  a  pretty  fringed  tidy 
on  it,  and  a  bright  silver  spoon,  and  when  it  was  all 
fixed  I  took  it  up  to  her. 

Her  face  fell  as  she  noticed  the  absence  of  pickles  and 
pastry.  But  she  thanked  me  and  eat  a  little  of  it,  and 
it  seemed  to  taste  good,  and  she  finished  the  hull  of  it 
before  she  got  through.  And  she  put  on  a  pretty  white 
night-gown  and  got  into  bed,  and  I  bent  down  and  sort 
of  tucked  in  the  light  white  spread  and  patted  the  pil- 
lows, and  I  sez,  "  You  feel  pretty  good,  don't  you?  " 

And  she  smiled  and  sez,  "  Yes,  mom."  But  she 
looked  real  weak,  and  I  bent  down  and  whispered  to 
her: 

"  You  mustn't  forget,  my  dear,  to  ask  the  True  Phy- 


88  SamantJia  on  Children's  Rights 

sician  to  help  you.'*  She  lifted  up  her  head  and  was 
just  about  to  git  out  of  bed  agin,  and  I  sez,  "  You  can 
ask  Him  right  where  you  be,  for  He  don't  mind;  what 
He  minds  is  the  true  reverence  of  the  soul— the  de- 
pendent call  for  help  from  them  that  need  His  care  and 
who  believes  He  can  help  'em." 

"  Yes,  mom,"  sez  she;  "  I  always  say  my  prayers 
every  night." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  so  do."  And  I  kissed  her  and 
couldn't  help  it.  I  wuz  beginnin'  to  like  her  the  best 
that  ever  wuz.  But  jest  as  I  wuz  leavin'  the  room  she 
looked  up  anxiously  with  her  big  blue  eyes  and  sez, 
"  Oh,  Aunt  Samantha,  won't  you  close  the  window  at 
the  foot  of  the  bed  and  the  one  in  the  next  room  I  ' '  That 
wuz  another  little  bedroom  that  opened  out  of  hers  and 
I  used  it  for  a  clothes-press. 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  "  Honey,  the  wind  couldn't  touch  you 
at  all  if  there  wuz  any;  your  bed  is  out  of  the  range 
on't;  but,"  sez  I,  goin'  into  the  next  room  and  bringin' 
out  a  big  screen  (one  I  made  myself  out  of  the  old  iron- 
in'  bars  and  some  pretty  cretonne),  "  here,"  sez  I,  "  I'll 
put  this  between  your  bed  and  the  winder,  and  you 
couldn't  git  cold  in  a  cyclone,  much  less  in  this  sweet 
June  air  that  comes  up  fresh  from  the  heart  of  Nater 
and  brings  a  touch  of  her  own  healin'  and  rest  with  it." 

But  she  looked  frightened  still,  most  as  if  she'd  faint 
away,  and  sez  she,  "  Mamma  told  me  special  to  have 
you  cork  the  windows  up  tight  if  there  wuz  any  airholes 
round  'em." 

"  Cork  'em  up,"  sez  I  mekanically,  "  I  would  fur 
ruther  oncork  'em, ' '  sez  I,  and  I  went  on,  ' '  What  is  the 
reason  for  her  desire  for  corkin'?  ' 

11  The  night  air  is  so  deadly,"  sez  she;  "  Mamma  is 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  89 

so  much  afraid  of  it  that  she  never  has  dared  to  let  a 
breath  of  it  come  to  me  after  I  wuz  in  bed." 

"  Why,'*  sez  I  reasonably,  "  what  air  could  you 
breathe  in  the  night,  only  night  air;  and  do  you  spoze," 
sez  I,  "  that  the  Lord  would  fix  things  so  as  to  have  us 
breathe  deadly  pizen  half  of  our  time?  Why,  you  don't 
have  to  go  into  algebra  to  figger  it  out;  in  the  night 
time  you've  got  to  breathe  the  night  air;  you  can't  git 
any  other,  and  it  stands  to  reason  that  you'd  better 
breathe  it  fresh  from  the  hand  that  made  it— good  oxy- 
gen, etc.,  than  to  take  it  pizened  with  all  sorts  of  pizen 
risin'  from  the  prespirin'  skin,  weak  lungs  and  stomach, 
coal  gas,  etc." 

Well,  agin  her  good  disposition  come  in  and  fetched 
her  through  this  crisis.  She  settled  down  agin  into  the 
bed  with  a  kind  of  a  patient  sithe,  though  I  could  see 
that  she  wuz  as  afraid  of  that  air  as  if  it  wuz  wild 
beasts  ready  to  devour  her,  yet  lookin'  some  relieved  at 
the  apple-blows  and  mornin'  glories  that  twined  round 
all  over  that  screen  as  if  they  wuz  some  protection  to 
her. 

I  bent  down  and  kissed  her  agin  and  she  kissed  me 
back,  and  I  went  to  bed.  But  I'll  bet  I  got  up  most  a 
dozen  times  and  went  to  her  door  and  listened,  and  once 
in  a  while  I  could  hear  her  give  a  kind  of  a  low  mourn 
or  sithe.  But  I  didn't  dast  to  let  her  know  that  I  wuz 
there  for  fear  of  wakin'  her  clear  up,  and  I  spozed  goin' 
to  bed  at  such  a  different  hour  and  so  many  new  idees 
bein'  promulgated  to  her  would  naterally  upset  her,  but 
I  kinder  worried  about  her  all  night. 

Well,  in  the  mornin'  she  wuz  bed-sick—too  sick  to  git 
up— and  I  can't  say  but  what  I  did  have  a  few  reflec- 
tions, mebby  two  or  three,  thinkin'  of  the  night  air 


90  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

and  the  corks  I'd  refused  and  the  quantities  of  air  I'd 
let  in.  But  yet  I  wuz  held  up  a  good  deal  by  duty  and 
the  thought  that  her  weak  feelin's  wuz  probable  caused 
by  reasons  I've  named  and  her  journey  in  waist  screws 
and  heel  tortures,  and  then  her  sentimental  feelin's  for 
Le  Flam  I  spozed  helped  it  on  some;  but  anyway  and 
'tennyrate,  she  looked  like  death  when  I  carried  up  her 
coffee  and  toast  to  her— not  strong  coffee,  but  jest  right, 
fresh,  and  fragrant  and  plenty  of  cream,  and  the  toast 
was  delicate,  brown,  and  crispy,  and  I  took  up  a  fresh 
egg  and  a  little  china  dish  of  strawberries.  But  she 
couldn't  eat  a  mou'ful.  And  I  wuz  most  skairt,  she 

looked  so  white  and  tired,  and  I  sez  to  Josiah  when  I 

t  i 

went  downstairs: 

"  You'll  have  to  go  to  Jonesville  and  git  the  doc- 
tor." For  I,  not  knowin'  how  much  wuz  sentiment  and 
how  much  sickness,  thought  I'd  better  be  on  the  safe 
side  and  git  a  doctor,  and  owin'  to  a  feelin'  that  I 
couldn't  quite  explain  myself,  it  come  to  me  so  sort  of 
queer  and  sudden,  "  Git  young  Dr.  Phillip,"  sez  I. 
You  see,  Dr.  Phillip  Rhodes,  father  and  son,  wuz  doc- 
tors, and  folks  called  'em  old  Dr.  Phillip  and  young 
Dr.  Phillip. 

And  Josiah  sez,  "  You  always  have  the  old  doctor^ 
Samantha." 

'     And  I  sez,  "  That  don't  make  any  difference,  Josiah; 
you  get  young  Dr.  Phillip." 

And  I  thought  on't  after  he  went,  I  didn't  really 
know  why  I  did  insist  on  havin'  him;  I  don't  really 
think  that  I'd  planned  out  anything  in  my  own  mind 
at  that  time,  but  I  wuz  kinder  led  to  do  what  I  did. 


CHAPTER  VI 

[QUNG  Dr.  Phillip  Rhodes  wuz  a  prime 
favorite  of  mine,  and  had  always  been. 
He  had  as  much  goodness  and  common 
sense  and  smartness  about  him  as  any 
young  man  I  ever  set  eyes  on.  He  wuz  good 
young  man  I  ever  set  eyes  on.  He  wuz  good  looking 
too,  with  keen,  dark  eyes,  kinder  laughin'  and  kinder 
sad  eyes,  too,  as  if  he  see  naterally  on  both  sides  of 
life— the  bright  side  and  pathetic  side.  Tall,  broad 
shouldered,  manly  lookin',  he  wuz,  as  nigh  as  I  could 
make  out  from  what  I'd  hearn,  as  near  the  opposite  of 
Dora's  bo  as  you  could  find. 

Well,  young  Dr.  Phillip  took  her  little  slender  white 
wrist  in  his  hand  and  counted  her  heart  beats  by  his 
watch,  and  mebby  he  counted  'em  by  his  own  heart,  too, 
for  Dora  did  look  sweet  as  a  picter  as  slie  lay  there  with 
her  golden  hair  all  kinder  curly  round  her  pale  face  and 
her  big  violet-blue  eyes,  and  the  waves  of  white  lace 
about  her  neck  comin'  up  round  her  soft  cheeks  that 
wuz  jest  about  as  white. 

Well,  he  left  her  some  powders  and  some  tablets  and 
said  he  would  come  agin  the  next  day.  And  she  lifted 
her  soft,  sad  blue  eyes  to  hisen  and  looked  so  confidin* 
and  innocent  and  sweet  at  him  that  I  didn't  wonder  it 
took  him  such  a  long  time  to  fold  up  the  powders  and 
why  he  seemed  to  linger  round  as  if  he  wuz  loth  to  go. 


92  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

But  at  last  he  did  go  downstairs,  and  I  follered  him, 
and  he  turned  round  in  the  settin'  room  and  faced  me, 
and  in  a  honest  way  that  would  be  invaluable  in  a 
doctor  if  follered  up,  he  sez: 

"  What  is  really  the  matter  with  her,  Aunt  Saman- 


And  I  sez,  "  A  lack  of  common  sense  in  her  mother, 
or  that  is  what  started  the  trouble  in  the  first  place.** 
Sez  I  in  a  sort  of  a  blind  way,  "  There  is  mebby  other 
complications  now  that  will  have  to  be  tended  to." 

And  I  walked  off  into  the  buttery.  I  wuzn't  goin'  to 
mention  Le  Flam  to  him,  no,  indeed!  and  when  I  come 
out  I  brung  a  plate  of  cream  cookies;  he  likes  my 
cookies  to  a  extraordinary  degree,  and  these  wuz  jest 
out  of  the  oven,  and  he  eat  three,  and  then  went  away 
with  one  in  his  hand.  He  appreciates  good  cookin', 
yes,  indeed! 

Well,  the  next  mornin'  bright  and  early  young  Dr. 
Phillip  wuz  there  agin  with  a  pink  rose  in  his  buttonhole 
(I  never  see  that  before),  and  he  made  a  long  call,  and 
so  the  next  day,  and  the  next,  and  the  next,  and  she 
a-gainin'  all  the  while  and  beginnin'  to  talk  real  bright 
and  chipper  to  him,  and  the  seventh  young  Dr.  Phillip 
said  it  would  help  her  to  ride  out  that  very  day,  for  the 
air  wuz  jest  exactly  right. 

And  I  sez,  "  Well,  I  don't  know  what  I  can  do,  for 
Josiah  is  away  with  both  horses." 

And  he  sez  dreamily,  "  Yes,  I  met  him,  but,"  sez  he, 
"  as  it  happens  I  took  my  low,  easy  phaeton  this  after- 
noon, and  I  can  take  her  for  a  short  ride  as  well  as  not." 

And  I  sez,  "  Won't  to-morrow  do?  " 

And  he  sez,  "  No,  for  to-day  the  air  is  jest  exactly 
right." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  93 

And  I,  not  wantin'  to  hurt  her,  fell  in  with  the  idee, 
and  I  see  she  wanted  to  go. 

Now,  if  I  hadn't  trusted  him  jest  as  firm  as  I  would 
any  old  deacon  or  pastor  I  wouldn't  hearn  to  the  idee, 
but  I  did  trust  him  implicitly,  and  so  I  agreed  to  it. 

And  when  he  brung  her  back,  she  with  a  pretty  light 
in  her  eyes  and  a  soft  color  on  the  white  cheeks,  he 
sez: 

"As  it  happens  I  have  got  to  go  up  the  mountain  in 
the  morning  a  few  miles,  and  I  will  take  Miss  Dora  out 
again  if  you  think  best." 

And  I  sez,  "  Josiah  can  take  her." 

And  he  sez,  "  No,  Uncle  Josiah  is  busy;  don't  bother 
him." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  kinder  laughin'  in  the  inside  of  my 
sleeves,  "  doctors  are  most  always  busy." 

And  he  sez  again,  "  I  have  got  to  go  up  there,  and 
mountain  air  is  jest  what  she  needs." 

Well,  in  a  few  days  he  said  she  needed  lake  air.  And 
when  I  begun  to  plan  how  to  git  her  to  it  he  said  it 
happened  jest  so  that  he  had  got  to  go  down  on  the  lake 
shore  a  few  milds  off,  and  he  could  take  her  jest  as 
well  as  not,  and  she  seemed  glad  to  go— glad  enough; 
and  every  single  day  she  seemed  to  feel  better  and  look 
better.  Early  hours  to  bed  and  to  rise,  fresh,  pure  air, 
wholesome,  nutritious  food,  and  easy,  loose  clothin'  had 
all  done  their  healin'  work  on  her.  Why,  I  had  let  out 
her  pretty  muslin  dresses  most  half  a  finger  under  the 
arms,  and  she  dast  as  well  die  as  to  girt  herself  in  agin, 
my  eye  wuz  that  keen  on  her  and  yet  lovin*.  And  I 
went  to  Jonesville  myself  and  picked  her  out  a  pair 
of  common  sense  shoes,  but  pretty  ones,  russet  color; 
why,  good  land!  she  didn't  wear  but  number  three,  any- 


94  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

way— they  wuz  plenty  big  enough,  and  I  admitted  it. 
And  I  spoze  her  freedom  from  foot  sufferin'  helped  her 
a  great  sight,  and  her  winder  wuz  always  open  nights. 
She  had  got  to  likin'  me  too  well  to  not  do  as  I  said, 
and  when  she  see  me  calmly  carryin*  the  pickle  jar 
down  suller  and  put  a  stun  on  it,  she  knew  that  ended 
pickles;  and  when  she  asked  Josiah  to  git  her  some 
candy  and  I  calmly  took  it  and  eat  it  up  myself,  makin' 
me  dead  sick,  but  doin'  it  cheerful  in  a  martyr  way,  she 
didn't  ask  him  agin  to  git  her  anything  sarahuptish- 
ously,  and  it  wuzn't  long  before  her  well  stomach  didn't 
crave  such  trash— rich  cake  and  pickles  and  pies  and 
such.  And  she  begun  to  git  so  plump  that  she  laughed 
and  said  I  would  have  to  let  out  her  dresses  agin. 

And  I  did  before  she  went  home— more  than  a  inch 
on  both  sides— and  her  cheeks  got  pinker  and  her  eyes 
got  brighter  and  brighter,  and  I  didn't  wonder  a  mite 
that  the  kinds  of  air  she  had  to  ride  out  to  take  wuz 
so  various  and  lay  in  such  different  directions,  and 
young  Dr.  Phillip  wuz  so  willin'  to  take  her  to  'em. 

Well,  Dora  had  wanted  to  surprise  her  mother  when 
she  come  to  see  her  so  much  better,  so  we  hadn't  said 
nothin'  in  our  letters  about  the  great  improvement  and 
change  in  her,  and  the  very  day  that  Dr.  Phillip  and 
she  went  out  on  a  two  milds  walk,  two  out  and  two  in, 
I  got  a  letter  from  Albina  Ann  sayin'  she  had  seen  a 
new  kind  of  invalid  chair  and  askin'  me  to  ask  the  doc- 
tor if  he  thought  it  would  be  a  benefit  to  Dora,  and  sez 
she: 

"  Your  evasive  remarks  about  my  poor  dear  invalid 
makes  me  fear  that  I  shall  never  see  her  agin,  and," 
sez  she,  "  I  drempt  last  night  of  attendin'  a  funeral, 
and  I  lay  for  more  than  an  hour  planning  the  funeral 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  95 

when  she  is  took  from  me,  I  picked  out  the  text  '  Strange 
are  the  mysterious  ways  of  Providence,'  and,  sez  she, 
"  I  wet  two  handkerchiefs  wet  as  sop  with  my  tears 
right  there  in  the  middle  of  the  nigh't." 

Oh,  Albina  Ann  thought  enough  of  her,  I  could  see 
that,  and  kep'  her  in  her  mind  day  and  night.  And 
the  day  I  let  her  dress  out  for  the  second  time,  that  wuz 
the  time  she  went  out  with  her  Uncle  Josiah  to  help 
rake  the  meadow  and  come  in  laughin'  and  rosy  on  top 
of  the  load  jest  as  Dr.  Phillip  drove  into  the  yard,  makin* 
her  face  look  rosier  than  ever. 

Well,  that  day  Albina  Ann  writ  to  me  agin,  and  sez 
she,  "  I  write  to  you,  for  I  know  that  Dora  is  too  feeble 
to  write  to  me,  and  I  want  you  to  tell  me,  and  tell  me 
plain,  if  you  think  she  is  going  to  live  until  fall,  for  I 
must,  if  she  is  in  immediate  danger,  I  must  leave  Henry 
and  his  wife  and  the  twins,  sick  as  they  be,  for  I  must, 
I  must  see  my  darling,  my  idol!  once  more.'7 

Well,  I  writ  her  a  sort  of  a  comfortin'  letter,  that 
would  settle  her  mind  some  and  stiddy  it;  all  the  while 
I  wuz  writin'  I  wuz  hearin'  Dora's  ringin'  laugh  out  in 
the  front  yard,  where  Dr.  Phillip  and  she  stood  a-talkin* 
and  laughin'  with  my  companion. 

Well,  Dr.  Phillip  wuz  here  about  every  day,  and  it 
wuz  plain  enough  to  see  what  wuz  in  his  mind;  he  had 
never  paid  any  attention  to  a  girl  before  in  his  life  as 
I  ever  hearn  on,  and  if  I  wuz  any  judge  of  girls  (and 
I  fancy  I  am  a  splendid  judge)  Dora  wuz  jest  as  fond 
of  him  as  he  wuz  of  her.  Le  Flam,  that  poor  dissipated 
chap,  I  felt  had  only  stood  in  the  vestibule  of  her  fancy, 
but  Dr.  Phillip  I  believed  had  opened  the  door  to  her 
heart  and  walked  in  there  to  stay. 

Well,  I  felt  that  all  I  had  to  do  wuz  to  set  down  and 


96  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

trust  the  Lord;  that's  all  we  can  do  after  we've  done 
all  we  can  do  ourselves.  Let  mothers  take  this  great 
truth  into  consideration  and  consider  on  it;  surround 
your  young  girls  with  good  society,  and  when  I  say  good 
I  don't  mean  necessarily  rich,  but  good,  honest,  and  re- 
liable, then  you  can  set  down  in  your  chair  and  rest, 
knowin'  that  whatever  is  the  Lord's  will  to  happen 
won't  bring  grief  and  shame  to  your  heart.  If  it  is 
His  will  to  have  your  girl  a  bachelor  maid,  thank  God 
and  take  courage,  if  it  is  His  will  to  have  her  unite  her 
fate  to  a  companion,  why  accept  it  as  His  will  and  make 
the  best  on't,  but  'tennyrate  and  anyway,  don't,  don't 
let  her  marry  a  shack,  and  to  insure  that  don't  let  a 
shack  come  hangin'  round. 

Well,  everything  seemed  to  be  goin'  as  I  wanted  it 
to  go.  Considerin'  the  Le  Flam  eppisode,  I  couldn't  act 
exactly  as  I  would  if  I  had  took  her  fresh  from  the 
cradle.  In  them  latter  circumstances  I  would  impress 
agin  and  agin  on  a  girl's  mind  how  many  avenoos  there 
wuz  to  walk  in  besides  the  matrimonial  one— broad, 
glorious  avenoos  full  of  helpful  and  grand  possibilities. 
But  the  Le  Flam  eppisode  had  hampered  me,  and  so, 
as  I  say,  everything  seemed  to  be  goin'  as  I  wanted  it 
to.  And  yet  anon  or  oftener  I  had  a  feelin'  that  if  Dora 
couldn't  be  broke  for  good  of  her  foolish  ways— fool- 
ishness nurtured  and  fostered  by  Albina  Ann— I  didn't 
want  Dr.  Phillip's  life  spilte.  And  then  agin  a  good 
deal  of  the  time  I  noticed  her  sweet  disposition  and  put 
a  long  white  mark  on  that;  her  readiness  to  fall  into 
better  ways,  when  she  found  'em  out— another  long 
white  mark. 

As  for  his  likin'  for  her,  I  felt  that  I  needn't  mark 
that,  for  he  had  done  it  himself.  And  if  she  didn't 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  97 

know  as  much  as  Sappho  or  Aspasia,  that  I've  hearn 
Thomas  J.  read  about,  I  knew  men  never  cared  any  too 
much  about  that,  and  as  for  Miss  Sappho  and  Miss  As- 
pasia, I  never  thought  any  too  much  of  either  on  'em, 
from  what  I'd  hearn;  Miss  Sappho,  with  all  her  smart- 
ness, drownded  herself;  and  as  for  Miss  Aspasia,  there  is 
sights  of  talk  about  her  and  always  wuz. 

And  then  I  felt  a  good  deal  of  the  time  that  Dr. 
Phillip  had  smartness  enough  for  'em  both,  and  Dora 
wuz  nobody's  fool,  and  I  felt  that  the  sun  of  his  strength 
and  love  would  bring  out  the  colors  in  her  mind  and 
soul  jest  as  the  sunlight  changes  a  poor  suller  kep' 
house-plant  in  the  spring  of  the  year. 

Well,  anyway  and  'tennyrate,  I  had  to  let  it  go  on. 
I  jest  had  to,  for  the  stream  wuz  gittin'  too  deep  for  me 
to  ford  or  dam  (metafor),  I  meant  the  stream  of  deep, 
pure  love  that  wuz  a-flowin'  round  Dora  and  bearin'  her 
on  its  deep  bosom  into  happiness,  as  I  trusted  and  felt, 
I  felt  it  had  got  to  bear  her  where  it  wanted  to. 

Well,  one  day  Dora  and  Dr.  Phillip  had  gone  up  the 
mountain  road,  the  air  wuz  balmy  as  if  it  b lowed  off  a 
bed  of  balm,  and  I  had  seen  the  happy  pair  set  off  under 
the  mornin'  sun  lookin'  fresh  and  bright  almost  as  that 
luminary  itself,  only  of  course  not  so  dazzlin'. 

And  my  Josiah  had  gone  into  the  wood  lot  after  a 
load  of  stove  wood,  and  I'd  put  on  a  clean  gingham 
dress  and  sot  there  in  my  clean  kitchen  alone  in  all  my 
glory,  same  as  Solomon  did,  or  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  I've 
most  forgot  which  one  on  'em  it  wuz,  when  I  hearn 
a  rap  on  the  door  and  I  went  and  opened  it,  and  there 
stood  a  chap  that  I  knew  by  the  first  look  on  him  wuz 
Le  Flam.  He  had  that  same  look  on  him,  sort  o'  dissi- 


98  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

pated  and  yet  kinder  stylish  and  handsome,  that  I  felt 
certain  could  belong  to  no  other. 

I  invited  him  in  and  sot  him  a  chair,  for  I  felt  that 
he  wuz  a-goin'  to  have  a  bad  enough  time  without 
standin'  up,  and  he  sez  most  the  first  thing: 

"  I  want  to  see  my  affianced." 

And  I  sez,  "  Nobody  by  that  name  is  here  or  been 
here/* 

Sez  he,  "  My  betrothed." 

And  then  I  sez,  "  I  don't  somehow  seem  to  recognize 
the  name." 

And  he  yelled  up  a  little,  "  [The  girl  I'm  engaged  to, 
Miss  Dora  Peak;  or  that  is,"  sez  he,  "I've  considered 
it  the  same  as  an  engagement,  though  perhaps  it  hasn't 
pjiite  reached  that  point." 

"  Oh,"  sez  I,  "  you  mean  Dora;  well,  she  is  not  here 
jest  now." 

"And,"  he  sez,  his  red  face  growin*  redder  and  his 
kinder  bloodshot  eyes  dartin'  angry  gleams,  "  I  have 
heard  all  about  your  treacherous  conduct,  and  I've 
come  to  settle  with  you." 

"  iXou  have,  have  you!  "  sez  I,  and  I  turned  over  the 
sock  I  wuz  a-mendin'  and  attackted  it  in  a  new  place. 

"  Yes,"  sez  he,  "I've  heard  how  you  have  encour- 
aged the  attentions  of  another  man  to  the  girl  I  wuz 
as  good  as  engaged  to,  the  girl  I  have  paid  attention  to 
for  years." 

Sez  I  calmly,  a-lookin*  him  over  as  if  he  wuz  a  banty 
rooster,  "  Have  you  paid  attention  to  her  exclusively?  " 

"I  have  never  paid  attention  to  another  lady!  "  he 
yelled  in  quite  a  loud  voice  and  shrill. 

"  Mebby  not,"  sez  I,  and  I  went  on,  "  Dora  can  do 
as  she  pleases,  but  if  I  wuz  a  young  girl,"  sez  I,  "  I 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  99 

wouldn't  accept  the  attentions  of  a  man  who  divided 
his  attentions  between  me  and  saloons,  gamblin'  halls  and 
horse  races,"  sez  I. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  he  yelled  out. 

"  Jest  what  I  say,"  sez  I,  a-gittin'  up  and  puttin'  in 
another  stick  of  wood  and  a-seatin'  mysjelf  some  nigher 
the  wood-box,  for  I  didn't  know  what  he  might  be  led 
to  do,  for  I  could  see  as  plain  as  anything  that  he  wuzn't 
quite  himself,  and  you  never  can  calculate  what  such  a 
man  may  take  it  into  his  head  to  do.  But  I  felt  con- 
siderable easy  when  I  had  a  good  stout  birch  stick  of 
wood  right  at  hand,  not  that  I  wuz  really  'fraid  on  him: 
dissipation  had  told  on  him  so  he  looked  considerable 
tottlin'  and  shaky  under  all  the  outside  veneer  of  fash- 
ion he'd  put  on;  but  how  can  you  tell  what  a  poor,  mis- 
erable tike  will  take  into  his  head?  W'hy,  dissipation 
jest  onhingfis  all  the  moral  and  spiritual  graces,  all  the 
manliness  and  self-respect  and  will-power,  and  jest  lets 
'em  all  tottle  down  into  ruin,  and  I  don't  believe  he  had 
many  graces  to  onjint  in  the  first  place. 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  sez  he,  lookin*  meachin', 
meachin'  as  a  dog. 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  a-feelin*  it  my  bounden  duty  to  stand 
between  Dora  and  trouble,  "  I  mean  that  it  is  a  shame 
and  a  disgrace  for  such  a  man  as  you  are  to  even  talk 
of  takin'  a  sweet,  innocent  young  girl  into  a  life  like 
yours." 

"  She  fills  my  heart,"  sez  he,  "  and  my  life,  and  has 
for  years." 

"  Not  full!  "  sez  I,  lookin'  at  him  keenly,  "  not  full!' 
If  she  did  her  sweet  image  would  have  banished  the 
other  vile  inmates  that  have  abounded  there— wicked 
companions,  evil  ways  of  all  kinds.  What  room  is  there 


100  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

in  that  black  crew  for  an  innocent  young  life  like 
Dora's?  Have  you  got  the  heart,"  sez  I,  "  to  try  to  en- 
tice that  young  girl  into  such  a  life  as  you  know  the  wife 
of  a  dissipated  man  must  lead— into  woe  and  wretched- 
ness, and  an  early  grave,  most  likely  I  " 

"  I  would  reform/'  sez  he;  "  I  would  become  a  differ- 
ent man  for  her  sake." 

"  Why  haven't  you,  then?  "  sez  I.  "  Why  haven't 
you  reformed  in  all  these  years  when  you  wuz  on  proba- 
tion, as  you  may  say,  a-tryin'  to  win  her  love?  Do  you 
think  that  you'd  do  better  when  you  wuz  sure  of  her 
and  she  wuz  in  your  power?  Now,"  sez  I,  "  I  don't 
want  to  be  hash  to  you,  and  I  don't  want  to  hender  you 
from  singin'  that 

'  While  the  lamp  holds  out  to  burn 

The  vilest  sinner  may  return,' 

but  I  don't  want  you  to  sing  it  here;  I  want  you  to  go 
away  and  let  Dora  alone." 

11 1  never  will,"  sez  he. 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  I  will  see  about  that;  "  and  I  got 
up  and  went  to  the  back  door  and  called  out  loud: 
"  Josiah,  I  want  you  and  Ury  to  come  right  here!  " 

Well,  my  conscience  has  twitted  me  about  that  per- 
formance more'n  a  hundred  times  sence,  if  it  has  once. 
But,  then,  I  would  kinder  argy  back,  when  I  would  git 
all  wore  out  with  that  conscience  a-proddin'  me,  I  did 
want  Josiah  to  come  that  very  minute,  and  I  would 
have  liked  to  see  Ury  step  in,  there  hain't  a  doubt  on't. 
And  what  of  it,  what  if  Ury  wuz  to  Three  Mile  Bay 
for  a  load  of  spruce;  and  what  if  Josiah  Allen  wuz  two 
milds  and  a  half  away  in  our  wood-lot,  I  wanted  'em, 
there  hain't  a  doubt  of  that,  and  I  didn't  lie. 

And  I  spoze  I  might  jest  as  well  tell  it  right  here  as 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  101 

anywhere,  Josiah  has  told  it  more  than  twenty  times  in 
one  day  by  the  clock:  he  sez,  and  I  believe  it  implicitly, 
he  had  jest  driv  into  the  woods  and  had  commenced  to 
load  the  wood  in  when  he  sez  he  hearn  me  say:  "  Josiah, 
I  want  you."  And  he  sez  there  wuz  in  my  voice  a  certain 
ring  of  urgent  need  and  anxiety  that  made  him  turn  the 
team  right  round  and  come  home  on  the  gallop,  and  con- 
sequently he  met  Le  Flam  down  by  the  big  butnut  tree. 
For  after  I  called  to  them  men,  for  all  the  world  jest 
as  if  they  wuz  inside  the  barn  door,  Le  Flam  turned  on 
to  his  heel  and  went  off  without  biddin'  me  "  good-by," 
or  "  good-day,"  or  any  thin'.  He  yanked  the  lines  off  en 
the  post  (he  had  hitched  by  the  lines— didn't  know  any 
more — and  I  spoze  he  broke  sunthin',  somehow,  for  he 
seemed  to  be  foolin'  round  with  the  harness  for  quite  a 
spell;  I  spoze  his  hands  wuz  clumsy  and  helpless  owin' 
to  his  state),  and  so,  as  I  say,  Josiah  come  a-gallopin* 
'long,  and  past  him  down  by  the  butnut  tree. 

Well,  to  me  that  little  eppisode  always  went  to  show 
how  close  the  ties  be  unitin'  two  true  hearts,  and  how 
queer  and  curious  the  atmosphere  is  that  surrounds  'em. 
My  voice  in  need  reached  the  ear  that  Love  had  attuned 
to  hear  it.  Strange,  strange  is  the  mysteries  of  pard- 
ners.  I've  always  said  it  and  I  always  will:  strange 
is  the  pathway  on  which  their  sperits  can  go  back  and 
forth  and  meet  each  other.  It  made  me  feel  queer  and 
riz  up. 

But  Josiah  looks  at  it  different;  he  thinks  that  it  wuz 
my  nateral  voice  that  he  hearn,  and  sez  he:  "  Saman- 
tha, I  always  told  you  that  I  could  hear  you  two  or 
three  milds  away,  and  now  I've  proved  it:  your  voice  is 
shrill,"  sez  he,  "  and  you  don't  realize  how  loud  you 
holler." 


102  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

"  Why  didn't  Ury  hear  me?  "  sez  I  scornfully. 

"  Oh,  there  is  a  limit  to  the  shrillest  voice.  You 
couldn't  expect  to  talk  back  and  forth  with  folks  clear 
to  the  Klondyke." 

Well,  there  wuzn't  no  use  argyin',  and  he  has  throwed 
that  eppisode  in  my  face  ever  sence,  and  I  spoze  he  al- 
ways will. 

But  good  land,  I  don't  care;  I  know  that  we  got  rid 
of  Le  Flam  for  good  and  all,  for  he  didn't  make  much 
of  any  move  after  that  eppisode  of  advice  and  warnin' 
to  him.  I  guess  he  did  write  to  Dora  once  or  twice,  but 
she  never  noticed  his  letters,  and  it  wuzn't  but  a  few 
months  before  he  married  a  rich  widder. 

Well,  it  wuz  on  a  bright  September  day  that  Albina 
Ann  come  to  Jonesville,  after  Dora  had  had  only  three 
months,  mind  you,  of  common-sense  treatment  and  rea- 
sonable livin',  and  I  wish  that  you  could  have  seen  her 
face  as  it  rested  on  Dora's  for  the  first  time.  You  see, 
she  come  in  dretful  pimpin'  and  pensive  lookin',  for 
Henry's  wife  had  had  a  siege  and  Albina  Ann  had  nursed 
her  faithfully,  and  Henry,  too,  and  the  twins,  and  they 
wuz  all  a-pullin'  through. 

But  bad  and  wore  out  as  Albina  Ann  felt,  she  didn't 
feel  too  bad  to  have  that  white  dotted  veil  over  her 
made-up  face,  and  her  dress  tight  as  tight  could  be, 
and  sot  up  on  wobblin'  heels  half  a  finger  from  the 
ground  a-pitchin'  her  kinder  forwards.  I  pitied  her. 
And  her  first  words  was,  "  She  is  alive,  hain't  she? 
Do  tell  me  so!  Is  she  in  the  spare  bedroom?  Oh,"  sez 
she,  "  to  come  from  one  bed  of  sickness  to  another!  " 
and  she  sithed  and  kinder  groaned,  and  started  for  the 
chamber  stairs. 

Sez  Jf  "  She  has  gone  out  for  a_ride." 


on  Children's  Bights  103 

"For  a  ride!  "  sez  she  in  amaze,  "  then  she  can't  be 
in  immediate  danger,"  and  then  she  sez,  "  Oh,  how  I 
have  dreaded  to  come  from  the  almost  dying  bed  of  my 
dear  ones  in  Denver  to  the  sick  bed  of  another." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  Dora  hain't  bed-sick,"  and,  sez  I, 
"  you'll  see  her  in  a  minute,  for  I  hearn  'em  at  the 
gate." 

Well,  when  that  plump,  rosy-cheeked  girl,  wkh  spark- 
ling, laughing  eyes,  bounded  into  the  room  (her  Uncle 
Josiah  had  told  her  that  her  Ma  had  come)  and  threw 
her  arms  round  her  neck  and  kissed  her,  you  could  have 
knocked  Albina  Ann  over  with  a  pin-feather.  I  felt 
conscience-struck,  and  as  if  I'd  ort  to  told  her.  Her 
face  turned  ghastly  pale  under  the  false  color,  and  she 
looked  at  Dora  and  then  at  me  in  a  stunted,  dum- 
foundered,  helpless  way,  pitiful  in  the  extreme,  that 
most  made  me  'fraid  that  she  had  lost  her  faculty.  But 
pretty  soon  she  gradually  brightened  up  into  a  happy, 
blissful  look,  and  her  nateral  color  returned,  and  how 
she  did  hug  and  embrace  Dora,  and  she  sez  to  me  in 
a  solemn  way,  "  It  is  a  mericle,  Samantha!  " 

"  No,"  sez  I,  "  no  mericle,  only  a  triumph  of  com- 
mon sense  and  common-sense  remedies— pure  air,  early 
hours,  wholesome  food,  etc,  etc." 

And  then  she  noticed  her  dress,  I  see— the  absence  of 
cosset,  the  common-sense  shoes.  But  she  never  lisped  a 
word  aginst  it,  and  hain't  to  this  day,  so  fur  as  I  know. 
The  shock  had  been  too  great:  she  had  seen  the  dead 
raised  to  life,  as  it  were,  and  it  had  shook  a  little 
common  sense  and  gumption  into  her.  I  ketched  her 
myself  the  next  mornin'  a-lettin'  out  her  travelin'  dress, 
and  she  let  her  cosset  out  some.  I  have  some  hopes  of 
her. 


104  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

Well,  to  resoom  backwards  a  spell.  Dr.  Phillip  come  in 
with  my  pardner,  and  when  Albina  Ann  see  that 
splendid,  noble  lookin'  young  man,  and  comprehended 
how  and  what  it  wuz,  and  that  Le  Flam  wuz  only  a 
dark  shadder  in  the  past  and  wouldn't  shade  Dora's 
future  agin,  agin  she  sez  to  me  in  them  solemn  axents 
out  on  the  back  stoop,  "  Another  mericle,  Samantha?  " 

And  I  sez,  "  No  such  thing,  Albina  Ann;  nothing  only 
another  triumph  of  common  sense.  Do  you  remember 
what  I  said  to  you  about  surroundin'  young  girls  with 
good  society?  "  And  I  felt  so  well  that  I  went  on  and 
eppisoded  a  little  right  there. 

Sez  I,  "  When  you  let  a  cat  into  a  cream-dairy  what 
do  you  expect,  or  a  dog  into  a  bone  factory?  Will  the 
cat  pay  any  attention  to  the  catechism,  or  the  dog  to 
the  doxology?  No;  you  can't  expect  them  to  change 
their  naters  all  of  a  sudden.  So  with  young  folks: 
throw  young  hearts  together  in  the  springtime  with  no 
warnin';  what  is  the  result?  Why,  the  trees  and  flowers 
and  everything  bloom  out  under  the  sun  of  spring,  and 
young  hearts  stand  ready  to  blossom  out  under  the  sun 
of  love,  and  you  ort  to  be  careful,  careful  as  to  the  ma- 
terial you  surround  'em  with." 

But  I  see  she  wuzn't  payin'  the  attention  she  ort  to, 
and  agin  I  see  her  look  at  Dr.  Phillip  proudly  and  hap- 
pily, and  she  murmured  agin,  "  It  is  a  mericle,  a  mer- 
icle! " 

And  I  sez  agin,  bein*  brung  down  from  the  mount  of 
eloquence  on  to  the  plain  of  common  sense,  "  It  hain't 
no  such  thing:  it  is  nothin'  but  siftin'  good  wheat  from 
bad  and  usin'  a  little  plain  horse  sense." 

Well,  Albina  Ann  wuz  always  contrary;  she's  never 
gin  in,  nor  I  nuther.  She  always  to  this  day  contends 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  105 

that  it  wuz  a  mericle,  and  sez  she  gives  Providence  all 
the  praise  for  the  hull  performance,  which  of  course  I 
want  her  to  do,  and  still 

Well,  if  I  hadn't  acted  out  what  I  believed  wuz  the 
will  of  Providence  she  would  have  come  out  pretty  slim. 

Dora  and  Dr.  Phillip  wuz  married  'long  the  next  whi- 
ter, and  I  went  to  the  weddin',  proud  as  a  peacock  of 
the  bright,  healthy,  happy  looks  of  the  bride— sweet  as 
a  rose,  too,  she  looked  under  her  white  veil.  And  they 
have  settled  down  in  Loontown,  in  a  pretty  cream- 
colored  cottage  nigh  the  old  doctor's.  And  everybody 
sez  they  are  the  very  happiest  couple  in  Loontown. 

She  knows  enough!  And  he  jest  worships  her,  and 
she  him,  and  they  both  set  store  by  me,  sights  of  store. 


CHAPTER  VH 

OR  about  two  years  there  has  been  great 
doin's  in  Hamen  Smith's  family,  owin'  to 
Tamer  Ann's  wantin'  to  make  Anna 
marry  a  young  old  chap  who  come  down 
from  New  York  village  to  look  at  some 
grave-stuns  in  the  buryin'  ground  by  the  old  Dutch  Re- 
form Church  up  in  Zoar. 

There  wuz  some  dretful  aged  stuns  there  with  old 
Dutch  names  on  'em,  and  the  young  old  feller  wuz  in 
hopes  he  would  find  some  ancestors  there.  He  had  piles 
and  piles  of  'em  before  he  begun  to  hunt  there,  enough 
for  comfort  and  more,  too,  but  he  wanted  some  more,  so 
sure  it  is  that  the  more  you  have  the  more  you  want. 

And  so  he  come  down  a  purpose.  He  didn't  find  any 
ancestors,  but  he  found  Anna.  And  he  jest  stayed  along 
and  stayed  along.  He  had  only  got  board  at  the  tarven 
for  two  days,  but  he  stayed  seven  weeks  that  time  and 
come  down  agin  frequent  after  that,  and  the  next  sum- 
mer spent  the  hull  of  his  summer  there. 

Anna  wuz  engaged  to  Tom  Willis,  a  good  lookin*  and 
good  actin'  young  chap,  and  Tamer  Ann  had  never 
lifted  her  finger  or  said  a  word  to  stop  their  intimacy 
or  engagement.  But  when  this  old  young  feller  come 
she  jest  commanded  Anna  to  not  think  of  Tom  Willis 
any  more,  and  ordered  her  to  be  polite  and  sociable  with 
this  young  old  man.  Curious  how  some  mothers  can  act, 
ain't  it  now? 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  107 

I  liked  Tom  Willis.  He  wuz  study-in*  law  under 
Thomas  Jefferson,  he  had  been  under  him  for  several 
years  now,  and  Thomas  J.  thought  everything  of  him, 
and  said  he  wuz  bound  to  make  his  mark  in  the  world. 
Yes,  I  liked  Tom  and  Tom  liked  me.  But  I  had  never 
seen  the  old  young  man  till  the  daj^we  went  there  a- 
visitin',  bein'  invited  special  by  Tamer. 

It  wuz  a  pleasant  drive  over  there,  and  I  got  up  mid- 
dim*  early  and  got  a  good  breakfast,  a  very  good  one, 
knowin'  that  my  Josiah's  demeanor  for  the  day  de- 
pended a  good  deal  on  it.  And  I  wanted  his  liniment 
to  be  smooth  and  placid,  for  nothin'  gauls  a  woman 
more  than  to  have  her  companion  kinder  snappish  to 
her  when  she  takes  him  out  in  company.  She  knows 
the  wimmen  are  all  comparin'  his  liniment  with  their 
own  husband's  liniments,  and  she  wants  him  to  show 
off  to  good  advantage.  She  has  a  pride  in  it. 

So  I  cooked,  in  addition  to  my  other  vittles,  a  young 
tender  chicken,  briled  it,  and  had  sjDme  nice  warm  bis- 
cuit, and  some  coffee,  rich,  yellow,  and  fragrant,  with 
lots  of  good  cream  in  it.  And  I  had  other  good  things 
accordin*.  I  did  well,  and  Josiah's  liniment  paid  me; 
all  the  way  to  Hamenses  his  mean  wuz  like  a  babes  for 
softness  and  reposeful  sweetness.  He  twice  murmured 
words  of  affection  into  my  right  ear,  he  sez,  "  Dear  Sa- 
mantha," twice,  such  wuz  the  stimulatin'  and  softenin' 
effects  of  that  coffee  and  broiled  fowl.  Oh!  if  female 
wimmen  would  only  heed  these  words  of  warnin'  and 
caution  from  their  sincere  friend  and  well  wisher.  If 
they  would  only  spend  the  strength  they  take  to  try  to 
convince  their  pardners  that  it  is  onmanly  to  snap  'em 
up  and  be  fraxious  and  puggecky  to  'em,  expecially  be- 
fore folks  and  other  wimmen,  if  they  would  only  spend 


108  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

this  time  in  preparin'  food,  if  they  would  only  accept 
the  great  fact  that  men's  naters  are  made  jest  as  they 
be,  and  the  effect  of  food  on  their  naters  is  jest  what  it 
is,  if  they  would  only  accept  these  two  great  philosofical 
facts,  and  not  argue  and  contend  and  try  to  understand 
why  it  is  so,  or  how,  or  is  it  reasonable  that  it  should 
be  so,  or  anything  about  it.  Simply  accept  it,  dear  mar- 
ried sisters,  and  guide  them  gently  on  by  this  safe  and 
assured  way.  It  will  not  fail  you,  no,  Samantha  has 
tried  it  in  the  balances  and  has  never  yet  found  it 
wantin,  for  twenty  years  and  more  that  has  been  my 
safe  weepon  and  my  refuge  in  times  of  trouble. 

I  know  that  I  have  repeated  these  words  of  advice 
and  warnin'  anon  or  oftener,  but  it  is  only  because  I 
have  such  a  tender  feelin'  for  my  sister  wimmen  who 
are  placed  in  the  tryin'  position  of  pardners.  And  I 
want  'em,  oh,  how  I  want  'em!  to  do  the  best  they  can 
with  what  they  have  to  do  with.  But  I  am  eppisodin', 
and  to  resoom. 

We  sot  out  for  Hamenses  about  half -past  ten  on  that 
pleasant  mornin'.  All  over  the  dooryard  and  about  the 
house  hung  the  soft  silence  of  the  early  mornin'.  The 
birds  wuz  singin'  in  the  lilock  bushes  by  the  clean  door- 
step. The  branches  of  the  trees  hung  low  down  in  the 
orchard.  The  sunshine  lay  in  the  dooryard  in  golden 
patches  flecking  the  green  grass  between  the  shade  trees 
and  on  the  clean  painted  doorway  and  the  winders.  And 
I  knew  and  Josiah  knew  that  we  shouldn't  see  no  such 
sunshine  agin  till  we  see  this  same  light  shinin'  in  our 
dooryard  and  the  white  curtained  winders  of  home. 

Well,  we  had  a  pleasant  drive,  with  no  eventful  events 
to  disturb  it  till  we  got  near  to  Hamenses  house  at  about 
a  quarter  to  twelve.  As  we  wuz  a-goin'  down  the  hill 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  109 

pretty  clost  to  his  house  I  methought  I  hearn  sunthin' 
wrong,  a  rattlin'  sound  amongst  the  iron  framework  of 
our  conveyance,  and  I  mentioned  the  fact  to  my  pard- 
ner.  He  then  intimated  that  I  had  frequently  called 
his  attentions  to  similar  things  on  similar  occasions  (he 
didn't  word  it  in  this  way,  no,  it  wuz  a  shorter  way  and 
fur  terser). 

But  I  knew  I  wuz  in  the  right  on't,  and  begged  him 
to  git  out  and  see  about  it.  But  he  vowed  he  wouldn't 
git  out,  he  even  made  a  oath  to  confirm  it.  "  Dum  " 
wuz  the  word  he  used  to  confirm  the  fact  that  he  would 
not  git  out.  But  the  very  next  minute  one  of  the  wheels 
come  off,  and  he  did  git  out.  Yes,  he  got  out,  and  I 
did,  too.  He  got  out  first,  and  I  kinder  got  out  after 
him.  It  wuz  sudden! 

Everything  seemed  sort  o*  mixed  up  and  sick  to  the 
stomach  to  me  for  quite  a  spell.  But  when  conscien- 
tiousness returned  I  found  myself  layin'  there  right  in 
my  tracts,  and  what  made  it  more  curious  and  coin- 
cidin'  I  had  a  bundle  of  tracts  that  her  old  pasture, 
Elder  Minkley,  had  sent  to  Tamer  Ann.  He  worried 
over  her  readin*  dime  novels  so  much,  and  he  had  sent 
her  these  tracts,  "  The  Truthful  Mother  and  Child;  or, 
The  Liar's  Doom,"  and  one  wuz,  "  The  Novel  Reader's 
Fate;  or,  The  Crazed  Parent." 

Well,  I  lay  there  feelin'  curious,  Josiah  tryin'  to  keep 
the  horse  from  tromplin*  on  me,  and  he  wuz,  I  could  see, 
agitated  in  the  extreme  about  me,  though  I  had  said 
faintly  from  where  I  lay: 

"  I  hain't  killed,  Josiah,"  and,  as  he  seemed  by  his 
looks  to  doubt  my  assurance  and  mourn  for  me  as  lost, 
I  sez  agin: 

11 1  am  not  dead,  Josiah,"  and  I  added  in  faint  axents, 


110  'SamantEa  on  Children's  Eights 

"  Have  I  bent  my  bunnet  much?  " 

And  he  sez,  "  Dum  the  bunnet!  "  And  I  didn't  blame 
him  a  mite  when  I  come  to  think  it  over.  How  sure  it 
is  that  sudden  reverses  of  fortune  brings  out  the  flower 
of  love  in  full  bloom!  As  I  lay  there  kinder  stunted  I 
felt  that  I  loved  my  companion  and  wuz  well  aware  how 
he  worshipped  me. 

I  spoze  my  remark  about  the  founnet  had  took  the 
edge  off  from  his  anxiety,  and  he  felt  that  I  wuz  alive 
and  considerable  comfortable.  And  at  that  very  minute 
the  mair,  bein'  hit  on  the  heel  by  the  thill  Josiah  wuz 
liftin'  up,  kicked  up  both  of  the  hind  ones  (heels)  and 
sot  off  back  to  Jonesville,  my  pardner  runnin'  after  her 
as  he  still  had  holt  of  the  lines.  As  I  said  I  laid  there 
feelin'  dretful  curious,  for  I  couldn't  for  my  life  git  up, 
I  spoze  I  wuz  stunted  by  my  fall. 

But  as  I  looked  back  the  way  we  had  come  and  be- 
held my  pardner  disappearin'  round  the  bend  of  the 
road  in  the  wake  of  the  mair,  I  see  comin'  towards  me 
from  that  direction  a  queer  lookin'  tall  ehap  with  long, 
small  limbs  and  a  high  collor  and  cane,  and,  as  he 
approached  me,  he  stopped  and  looked  down  on  me 
through  a  eyeglass  that  hung  round  his  neck,  in  a  queer 
way,  though  polite,  and  sez  he: 

"  You  got  out  sudden,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I  know  it,"  sez  I  faintly,  "  but  if  I  had  a  little 
help  I  could  git  up  agin." 

But  he  didn't  offer  to  help  me.  He  looked  at  me 
through  that  eyeglass  and  sez  he,  holdin'  tight  to  his 
cane  and  kinder  jabbin'  it  into  his  mouth  now  and 
then: 

"You  fwightened  me,  you  know;  I  pwespiah  now 
from  f wight." 


THE    MAIR   SOT   OFF   BACK    TO   .IONESVII.I.E,    MY    PAKDNER   RUNNIN'    AFTER    HER, 
AS   HE   STILL  HAD  HOI.T   OF  THE   LINES. 


Page  110. 


'Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  111 

"  From  what-?  "  sez  I. 

"  Fwom  feah,  you  know;  feah." 

11  Oh,"  sez  I. 

Agin  he  jabbed  that  cane  of  hisen  into  his  mouth, 
and  sez  he,  not  offerin'  to  help  me  a  mite,  but  standm' 
off  and  eyin'  me  like  a  one-eyed  owl:  "  Are  you  shuah 
you  have  not  sustained  any  sewious  injuwy?  " 

"  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  I  hain't  hurt  much,  I  could  git  up 
if  I  had  a  little  mite  of  help.'7 

"  Youh  fouh  ahm  now,  can  you  waise  it?  " 

I  reached  out  my  arm,  feelin'  considerable  like  a 
horse,  or  mebfry  it  would  be  more  proper  if  I  should  say 
I  felt  some  like  the  old  mair,  she  had  sunthin'  the  mat- 
ter with  her  fetlock.  And  he  continued  as  he  stood 
there  with  all  the  willowy  grace  of  a  telegraph  pole, 
and  as  tall  as  one,  so  it  seemed  to  me: 

"  Do  you  feel  any  pain  like  basilah  menigitis,  you 
know?  Do  you  feel  any  uneasiness  in  youah  pewicar- 
dium?  " 

FoUerin'  his  train  of  idees  almost  onbeknown  to  my- 
self, I  sez  faintly,  ™  I  never  knew  till  this  minute  that  I 
had  one,  but  I  guess  it  is  pretty  middlin*  comfortable; 
I  am  obleeged  to  you." 

"  Oh,  I  feel  welieved  if  you  haven't  injured  youah 
pewicardium,  for  that  would  have  been  almost  suah 
to  bwing  on  basilah  menigitis." 

I  give  up  that  I  wouldn't  git  no  help  from  him,  and 
I  sez,  "  If  you  would  just  go  to  that  house  ahead  and 
tell  Hamen  Smith's  folks  that  I  have  come  I  would  be 
glad.'7 

I  did  it  partly  to  git  help  and  partly  to  git  him  out 
of  my  sight,  he  did  look  so  dog  gueer  standin'  there 
gnawin'  at  that  cane  of  hisen,  with  his  stiff  collar  hold- 


112  Samantlia  on  Children's  Eights 

in'  up  his  ears,  and  his  clothes  that  tight  that  I  spozed 
mebby  that  wuz  one  reason  he  didn't  offer  to  help  me 
up,  the  other  reason  bein'  that  he  didn't  know  enough. 
But,  truly,  it  would  have  been  a  rash  and  hazardous 
proceedin'  on  his  part  to  bend  over  much,  and  I  didn't 
promulgate  any  desire  for  his  help  after  I  took  a  min- 
ute's thought  about  it.  But  when  I  spoke  of  Hamenses 
he  sez,  "  I  am  going  there." 

"  Are  you?  "  sez  I.  "  Then  mebby  they  will  want  to 
see  you  right  off.  I'd  go  on  if  I  wuz  in  your  place  and 
tell  them  that  I  have  come." 

"  Yes,  I  will  go,"  sez  he.  He  seemed  good  natured 
enough  what  there  wuz  of  him  (his  mind,  I  mean). 
And  he  started  off  lookin'  like  a  tall,  slim  fork  walkin' 
away.  But  he  turned  before  he'd  gone  more'n  a  step  or 
two  and  come  back,  and  sez  he: 

"  Youah  shuah  now?  " 

"  Sure  of  what?  "  sez  I. 

"  Shuah  you  have  not  sustained  any  sewious  in- 
juwia?  " 

"  Yes!  yes!  "  sez  I,  gittin'  wore  out.  "  And  I'd  like 
a  little  help  to  git  up;  I  wish  you  would  hurry." 

And  then  he  went  on  a  few  more  steps  and  come  back 
agin,  and  I  sez,  "  For  the  land's  sake!  What  do  you 
want  now?  " 

"  Youah  cahd,  you  know,  you  haven't  pwesented  me 
with  youah  cahd." 

Sez  I  with  dignity,  or  as  much  as  I  could  have  layin' 
most  flat  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  "  This  is  a  pretty 
place  to  talk  of  playin'  cards  or  any  other  game,  I 
settin'  flat  down  here  in  the  road  and  can't  git  up. 
You  had  better  start  on  to  once  and  git  away  from  me," 
sez  I,  "  and  tell  Hamenses  folks  I've  come." 


:Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  113 

"  I  haven't  the  pleasuah  of  knowin'  youah  name," 
sez  he,  lookin'  sort  of  pale  round  the  mouth,  and  his 
eyes  lookin'  big  and  round.  I  spoze  I  skairt  him  some 
by  my  lofty  mean  (lofty  under  difficulties). 

"  I  couldn't  tell,  youah  know,  who  had  come,  youah 
know." 

"  That  is  so,"  sez  I,  "  I  forgot.  Tell  'em  that  Josiah 
Allen's  wife  has  come." 

"  Oh,  Josiah  Allen's  wife,  I  have  the  gweatest  pleas- 
uah in  meeting  you.  I  have  heard  of  youah,  youah 
know."  And  he  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed  low  to  me. 
I  sithed,  for  I  believed  then  and  believe  now  he  would 
have  stood  there  for  an  hour  holdin'  his  hat  in  his  hand 
and  bowin'  to  me  and  actin',  and  he  looked  more'n  a 
mile  high,  too,  I  a-settin'  there  helpless.  But  I  looked 
at  him  that  witherin'  that  he  turned  agin  and  hurried 
off  as  fast  as  his  long  legs  would  carry  him. 

He  hadn't  got  more'n  a  few  steps  away  before  a  light 
buggy  come  rollin'  on  swift,  and  who  should  it  be  but 
Tom  Willis  goin'  on  some  law  bizness  for  Thomas  J.  up 
bey  end  Zoar.  How  curious  things  will  turn  out,  now 
this  wuz  jest  as  curious  as  it  wuz  for  Crusoe  to  discover 
Friday. 

I  guess  I  didn't  have  to  talk  to  Tom  Willis  about  his 
helpin'  me.  No,  he  flung  the  lines  to  the  boy  who  wuz 
with  him,  and  he  wuz  out  of  that  buggy  and  by  my  side 
in  less  than  a  minute.  And  it  wuzn't  a  minute  more 
when  he  jest  lifted  me  right  up  and  held  me  for  a  min- 
ute or  so,  for  I  wuz  giddy  and  sort  o'  stunted,  and  then 
he  helped  me  into  his  buggy  and  we  drove  on  to  Hamen- 
ses  and  got  there  long  enough  before  that  long  legged 
chap  had  arrived.  He  couldn't  walk  fast,  so  he  told 
me  afterwards,  on  account  of  his  "  pespiwin,"  and  then 


114  fiamantha  on  Children's  Rights 

he  had  "  dwapped  "  his  cane,  "  you  know."  And  I 
could  see  for  myself  jest  what  a  time  he  had  had  pickin' 
it  up.  For  the  land's  sake!  I  don't  see  how  he  ever 
done  it,  and  so  I  told  Josiah. 

But,  anyway,  Tom  Willis  took  me  out  of  the  buggy 
jest  as  tender  and  careful  as  if  I  had  been  his  own  Ma, 
and,  leanin'  on  his  strong  arm,  I  arrived  at  Hamenses 
door  and  went  in,  Tom  leavin'  me  at  the  doorsteps  and 
not  goin'  in,  for  reasons  to  be  named  hereafter.  But 
as  I  stood  on  the  front  stoop,  and  Tom  turned  to  go 
away,  I  see  a  red,  red  rose  come  a-circlin'  through  the 
air  from  right  over  our  heads  and  fall  at  Tom's  feet,  and 
he  took  it  up  and  kissed  it,  for  I  see  him,  and  put  it 
in  his  bosom.  And  then  he  turned  and  looked  up  into 
a  window  overhead,  and  no  light  of  the  mornin'  sun 
breakin'  through  a  cloud  wuz  ever  brighter  or  more 
luminous  than  the  glance  and  smile  he  gin  to  somebody 
overhead.  But  it  wuz  all  done  in  a  minute,  and  Tom 
wuz  gone,  and  in  a  minute  more  Anna  Smith  wuz  in 
my  arms,  with  both  her  sweet  young  arms  round  my 
neck  and  her  soft  pink  cheeks  pressed  clost  to  mine. 
I  think  enough  of  Anna  Smith,  and  she  thinks  enough 
of  me. 

Well,  Hamenses  wife  come  runnin'  in  dretful  glad  to 
see  me,  she  wuz  in  the  back  kitchen  givin'  orders  to  her 
hired  girl,  Arabeller,  and  Hamen  come  in,  too,  real  cor- 
dial actin',  he  wuz  in  the  back  yard  at  work,  and  Jack 
come  boundin'  in  and  most  eat  me  up,  he  wuz  so  glad 
to  see  me.  And  bimeby  Cicero  come  in  with  his  fingers 
between  the  pages  of  a  dime  novel,  and  shook  hands 
with  me  in  a  absent  mekanical  way,  but  he  didn't  seem 
to  sense  my  bein'  there  much  of  any,  and  what  he  did 
sense  didn't  seem  to  be  an  overagreeable  feelin',  real 


jSamantHa  on  Children's  Rights  115 

cool  and  indifferent  he  acted.  I  guess  Tamer  noticed 
it,  for  she  spoke  up  and  said: 

"  Cicero  wuz  such  a  reader,  he  had  such  a  great  taste 
for  books  and  literatoor,  he  wuz  so  much  like  his  Ma/* 
And  then  she  patted  him  on  his  head,  but  he  didn't  seem 
to  mind  that  any,  he  wuz  fairly  bound  up  in  his  book,  it 
wuz  "  The  Brave  Bold  Young  Bandit;  or,  The  Farmer 
Fool  Outwitted."  It  had  a  yeller  cover  and  painted  on 
it  wuz  a  innocent  lookin'  young  farmer  boy,  kneelin' 
at  the  feet  of  a  bandit  boy  with  bold  flashin'  eyes,  em- 
broidered uniform  and  tall  feathers  in  his  hat.  I  looked 
at  it  when  he  laid  it  down  for  a  minute  that  day,  and 
I  see  that  it  would  be  real  instructive  in  learnin'  a  boy 
to  despise  honest  labor  and  heart  merit,  and  honor  dash- 
ing wickedness  and  crime.  He  had  a  cigarette  in  his 
hand  when  he  met  me,  and  he  had  one  in  his  hand  or 
his  mouth  every  time  I  see  him  almost  while  we  wuz 
there. 

Well,  to  resoom  backwards  a  little.  Josiah  come  in 
in  about  haif  an  hour.  The  mair  had  started  back 
straight  for  home.  That  mair  has  a  constant  heart 
under  her  white  Mde,  and  she'd  left  children  there  and 
grandchildren,  I  didn't  blame  the  mair,  though  I  pitied 
my  poor  Josiah,  he  wuz  beat  out.  He  said  that  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  Tom  Willis  he  never  should  have  ketched 
her  at  all.  But  that  didn't  surprise  me  any,  for  Tom 
Willis  is  one  of  the  kind  who  always  will  find  a  way  to 
do  anything  he  sets  out  to.  So  he  had  helped  Josiah 
ketch  the  mair. 

They  wuz  dretful  glad  to  have  us  there,  it  had  been 
more  than  a  year  since  we  had  been  there  to  stay  any, 
and  now  we  laid  out  to  stay  two  days  and  nights,  and 
they  wuz  tickled.  But  as  glad  as  they'd  been  to  see  us, 


116  SamantHa  on  Children's  Rights 

when  that  long,  slim  feller  come  walkin*  in,  if  you'll  be- 
lieve it,  Tamer  Ann  Allen  actually  seemed  gladder  to 
see  him  and  made  more  on  him  than  she  did  of  Josiah 
and  me,  it  wuz  a  sight  to  see  it  go  on. 

It  seemed  that  when  that  old  young  chap  come  down 
into  that  neighborhood  he  put  up  to  the  hotel  to  Zoar, 
and  then  would  walk  over  to  Hamenses,  and  be  there 
day  in  and  day  out,  and  stay  jest  as  long  as  he  could. 
He  liked  Anna  as  well  as  he  could  like  anything  outside 
of  his  old  bones  and  ancestors  and  things,  and  I  didn't 
wonder  at  it,  for  her  fresh  young  beauty  must  have  been 
attractive  to  him,  and  a  sort  of  a  welcome  change  from 
his  own  looks  and  dry  bones  and  family  trees  and  such. 

But  I  see  she  didn't  care  anything  about  him,  and 
I  didn't  blame  her;  good  land!  I  thought  to  myself  I 
could  easier  git  up  a  sentimental  attachment  to  a  good 
new  telegraph  pole,  for  that  would  be  kinder  fresh  and 
hemlocky.  But  Tamer  bowed  down  before  him  as  if  he 
wuz  pure  gold.  His  name  wuz  Von  Winklstein  Von 
Crankerstone,  or  I  guess  that's  it.  I  can't  be  sure  even 
to  this  late  day  that  I  have  got  the  name  down  right,  all 
the  Vons  and  Winkles  and  things  in  their  right  places. 
But  I  have  done  the  best  I  could,  and  no  man  or  woman 
can  do  more. 

Tamer  didn't  like  it,  because  I  couldn't  git  his  name 
right  when  she  introduced  him,  and  I  guess  I  did  stum- 
ble round  considerable  amongst  them  Dutch  syllables. 
But  Tamer  didn't  like  it,  for  in  apology  for  my  short- 
comin's  I  mentioned  Dutch.  And  she  sez  out  in  the 
back  kitchen,  where  I  followed  her,  to  apologize: 

"  You  speak  of  his  bein*  Dutch;  why,"  sez  she,  "  Jo- 
siah Allen's  wife,  he  is  from  one  of  the  oldest  families 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  117 

in  the  country,  he  is  a  descendant  of  the  Poltroons  who 
settled  on  the  Hudson  in  Colonial  days." 

"  Is  that  so,  Tamer?  "  sez  I.  "  And  is  a  Poltroon  any 
better  for  bein'  a  old  one  than  a  young  one?  " 

And  she  sez,  "  I  didn't  say  Poltroon."  And  she  went 
on  to  explain,  but  it  wuz  sunthin'  that  sounded  jest  like 
it.  Well,  he  stayed  till  after  dinner,  and  then  he  went 
off,  much  to  Anna's  relief,  I  could  see  plain.  But  Tamer 
acted  real  disappointed,  and  urged  him  warm  to  come 
agin  soon,  which  he  promised  to  do  ready  enough.  He 
wuz  comin'  back  the  next  week,  I  believe;  he  had  found 
some  new  old  graves  somewhere  that  he  wanted  to  iden- 
tify and  claim,  if  possible.  It  beats  all  how  fond  he 
wuz  of  cemeteries.  But,  then,  he  had  a  good  deal  the 
look  of  a  tall  slim  monument  himself. 

He  bid  us  all  good-by  in  a  real  polite  way,  but  agin, 
when  I  tried  to  speak  his  name  in  farewell,  I  struggled 
round  and  fell  helpless  amongst  the  ruins  of  them  syl- 
lables. 

Why,  it  beats  all  the  time  I  had  with  'em,  and  to  eppi- 
sode  forward  a  little.  A  few  weeks  afterwards,  when 
the  Poltroon  wuz  there  on  another  visit,  they  wuz  to 
our  house  to  tea.  He  wanted  to  look  in  the  Jonesville 
cemetery,  so  they  stopped  to  our  house  on  their  way 
back.  And  Thomas  J.  and  his  folks,  and  Tom  Willis 
and  Elder  Minkley  all  happened  to  be  spendin'  the 
afternoon  there,  and  I  shall  never  forgit  the  names  I 
called  that  Poltroon  trying  to  introduce  him.  Why,  I 
called  him  by  more  than  forty  different  names,  I'll  bet; 
I  strugglin'  and  wrestlin'  as  you  may  say  among  the 
Vons  and  Crinkles  and  etcetery,  tryin'  hard  to  do  my 
very  best  by  him  and  the  other  visitors  and  myself. 

And  that  decided  me;  I  toilin'  and  prespirin'  and 


118  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

sweatin'  in  my  efforts  to  git  the  syllables  all  straight 
in  a  row  and  drive  'em  on  in  front  of  me,  and  he  stand- 
in'  lookin'  like  a  martyr.  He  bore  up  under  it  won- 
derful, I  must  say  that  for  him,  lookin'  bad  but  speech- 
less. It  wuz  jest  after  that  last  effort  of  mine  to  git  the 
name  jest  right  (for  I  wuz  introducin'  him  to  Elder 
Minkley,  and  I  always  try  to  do  my  best  by  ministers, 
good  creeters,  they  deserve  it),  that  I  wunked  Tamer 
Ann  out,  she  lookin'  mad,  and  I  red  and  prespirin'  with 
my  efforts,  and,  sez  I,  "  This  must  end,  Tamer  Ann." 

And  sez  she,  "  I  should  think  as  much!  " 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  Von  Crank  or  Von  Wink  is  what 
that  young  man  will  be  called  by  me  for  the  rest  of  my 
days." 

She  demurred,  but  I  stood  firm.  Sez  I,  "  I  may  have 
to  speak  his  name  several  times  while  I  live,  and  life 
is  too  short  for  me  to  go  stumblin'  round  amongst  the 
syllables  of  his  name  and  wrastlin'  and  bein'  thro  wed 
by  'em.  Von  Crank  is  my  choice,  but  you  may  take 
your  pick  in  the  two  names." 

She  see  I  wuz  firm  as  adamantine  rock,  and  so  she 
yielded,  and  Von  Crank  is  what  I've  called  him  ever 
since.  Tom  Willis  acted  tickled,  and  so  did  Thomas  J. 
Thomas  J.  sets  a  sight  by  Tom  Willis,  and  so  we  all  do. 
He  is  a  likely  young  feller,  light  complected,  with  blue- 
gray  eyes  that  are  keen  and  flashin',  and  soft  at  the 
same  time,  and  no  beard,  only  a  mustache;  a  tall,  broad- 
shouldered  young  chap.  And  as  I  say  he  wuz  tickled 
to  see  Von  Crank  stand  up  straight  and  stiff  and  im- 
movable genteel,  and  I  callin'  him  by  so  many  awful 
names  and  knawin'  by  my  firm  stiddy  mean  I  wuz  doin' 
my  very  best  by  him  and  myself  and  the  world  at  large. 

It  hain't  nateral  under  the  circumstances  that  Tom 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  119 

should  love  Von  Crank  or  Von  Crank  love  him.  They 
hain't  attached  to  each  other  at  all,  anybody  could  see 
that  at  the  most  casual  glance.  To  see  Von  Crank  try- 
to  patronize  Tom  and  couldn't,  and  to  see  Tom  say 
the  dryest,  provokinest  things  to  Von  Crank  in  a  polite 
way  and  Von  Crank  writhin'  under  'em,  but  too  genteel 
to  say  anything  back.  It  wuz  a  strange  seen.  And  to 
see  Anna  by  all  her  lovin'  looks  dotin'  on  Tom,  and 
Tom's  silent,  stiddy  devotion  to  her,  and  Tamer  Ann's 
efforts  to  git  'em  apart  and  still  keep  genteel— why,  it 
wuz  as  good  as  any  performance  that  wuz  ever  per- 
formed in  a  circus,  and  so  I  told  Josiah  afterwards. 

Tom  tried  hard  to  act  manly  and  upright,  and  that 
always  effects  me  powerful.  To  see  a  young  man 
blowed  on  by  such  blasts  of  passion,  such  a  overmas- 
terin'  love  and  Ion-gin',  and  still  standin'  up  straight 
and  not  gittin'  blowed  over  by  'emr  it  always  affects  me, 
I  can't  help  it,  I  wuz  made  in  jest  that  way. 

Now,  after  Von  Crank  got  to  goin'  after  Anna,  Tamer 
Ann,  as  I  said  before,  told  Tom  Willis  to  never  step 
his  foot  in  her  house  agin,  and  have  nothin'  to  do  at  all 
with  Anna. 

Well,  Tom  bowed  to  her,  they  say,  and  took  his  hat 
right  up  and  left  without  a  word  back  to  her  only 
"  good  mornin ',"  it  wuz  in  the  mornin'  time  that  she 
told  him.  But  they  say,  and  I  believe  it,  that  his  face 
wuz  white  as  death,  even  to  the  lips,  and  they  wuz 
tremblin',  so  they  say.  And  mebby  he  couldn't  say  any- 
thing owin'  to  the  sinkin'  of  his  heart,  and  mebby  it 
wuz  because  he  wouldn't  promise  to  give  her  up  and 
didn't  want  to  mad  Tamer  Ann  by  contendin'  with  her. 
Anyway,  they  say  he  didn't  say  nothin'  only  jest  "  good 
mornin',"  and  went  out. 


120  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

He  might  have  said  enough.  Good  land !  if  I  had  been 
there  I  could  have  told  him  lots  of  things  to  say. 

He  might  have  said,  "It  is  pretty  late  in  the  day  to 
ask  me  to  give  her  up  when  she  is  right  inside  my  heart 
and  soul,  and  I  should  have  to  tear  'em  both  open  to  git 
her  out.  It  is  pretty  late  in  the  day  to  interfere  when 
you  have  seen  Anna  and  I  playmates  from  childhood. 
When  you've  seen  us  grow  up  side  by  side,  all  through 
our  happy  youth  to  manhood  and  womanhood.  When 
you've  encouraged  us  to  be  together  at  all  times  and 
all  places,  trusted  her  to  my  care  hundreds  and  hun- 
dreds of  times  all  these  years.  Have  looked  on  calmly 
and  seen,  for  you  must  have  seen,  how  our  hearts  wuz 
growing  together,  how  our  lives  wuz  gittin'  completely 
bound  up  in  one  another.  After  you  have  sot  quietly 
and  allowed  all  this,  now  because  a  richer,  more  fash- 
ionable suitor  asks  for  Anna  you  think  you  will  take 
her  away  from  me,  from  the  one  that  holds  her  by  the 
divine  right  of  love,  and  give  her  to  one  she  does  not  be- 
long to.  It  shows  either  a  criminal  carelessness  on 
your  part,  a  criminal  neglect,  or  worse." 

That's  about  the  way  I  should  have  talked  if  I  had 
been  Tom  Willis.  But  he  didn't,  he  jest  walked  out 
and  shet  the  door,  not  slammin'  it,  or  nothin',  and— and 
kep'  right  on  livin'.  Never  made  no  threats  about 
killin*  himself,  never  boasted,  as  might  be  spozed  he 
would,  it  is  so  common  under  the  same  circumstances, 
that  he  had  got  sick  of  her,  and,  in  fact,  wuz  so  popular 
among  the  wimmen  that  he  had  to  slight  some  on  'em 
now  and  then,  no,  Tom  never  said  anything  of  all  this, 
but  jest  kep'  right  on  with  his  work  in  a  manly,  stiddy 
way,  growin'  kinder  pale  and  still  for  a  spell,  but  at 
last  sort  o'  brightenin'  up  and  havin'  a  new  and  stead- 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  121 

faster  light  in  his  eyes,  and  a  more  resolved  look  on 
his  fine  forward. 

He  see  Anna  every  Sunday  in  church,  and,  though  he 
obeyed  her  mother  and  didn't  give  her  any  outward  at- 
tention, yet  there  is  a  stiddy  attention  of  the  soul  that 
a  woman  can't  misunderstand  when  it  is  wroppin'  her 
completely  round  and  round.  There  is  a  language  of 
the  eyes  bey  end  Tamer  Ann  Smith  to  parse;  it  wuzn't  in 
her  grammar  at  all.  And  if  she  couldn't  parse  it  it 
wuzn't  likely  that  she  could  stop  it.  No,  she  might  as 
well  try  to  stop  the  vivid  language  of  the  skies  when 
the  hidden  forces  of  nature  speaks  out  in  sheets  of 
flame. 

Tom's  eyes,  as  they  met  Anna's  in  the  old  meetin' 
house,  held  hull  love  poems,  glowin'  stories  of  deathless 
devotion  and  faith  in  her.  And  Anna  read  'em,  she 
alone  held  the  key  to  the  divine  unwritten  language; 
the  love  in  her  own  heart  could  alone  translate  the  love 
in  his. 

Well,  it  had  run  along  so  for  more  than  a  year,  and 
Anna  wuz  twenty  and  Tom  wuz  twenty- three;  Tom 
workin'  hard  and  beginnin'  to  be  spoke  of  as  a  young 
lawyer  who  would  rise  in  the  world.  And  Anna  stayin' 
to  home  and  tryin'  to  be  dutiful  (duty  made  hard  by 
naggin').  Havin'  to  use  Von  Crank  well  under  her 
mother's  eyes  and  freezin'  him  in  lonely  moments,  froze 
one  minute  by  Anna  and  thawed  out  the  next  by  Tamer 
Ann,  and  kep'  kinder  soft  and  sloshy  all  the  time  by  his 
love  for  Anna,  Von  Crank  wuzn't  to  be  envied  much 
more  than  Tom. 

But  Tamer  Ann  (for  he  had  acted  up  to  his  high  sta- 
tion as  a  Poltroon,  and  kinder  relied  on  Tamer  Ann  to 
bring  Anna  round  when  he  knew  in  his  heart  that  she 


122  !Samant7ia  on  Children's  Rights 

detested  him)  kep'  tellin'  him  all  the  time  that  she 
would  be  all  right  in  time,  it  wuz  only  a  girl's  shyness, 
etc.,  etc.  So  he  kep'  on  comin',  and  Anna  kep'  on  shun- 
nin'  him  all  she  could,  and  Tamer  Ann  kep'  on  naggin', 
and  so  it  went  on.  Hamen  and  John  didn't  seem  to  pay 
so  much  attention  to  this  domestic  side  show,  for  all 
their  leisure  moments,  when  they  wuz  in  the  house, 
would  be  took  up  foolin'  Jack,  tellin'  him  strange 
stories,  drawin'  him  on  to  talk  strange  about  'em,  and 
then  laughin'  at  him.  And  Jack  would  meach  off,  feel- 
in*  all  used  up  and  humiliated,  and  they  snickerin',  the 
fools  I  There  wuz  more  sense  in  Jack's  little  finger  than 
in  their  hull  long  bodies,  and  so  I  told  Josiah. 

Oh,  how  it  incensed  me  to  see  it,  and  the  incense  grew 
stronger  every  time  I  went  there.  Tamer  Ann  had  got 
holt  of  a  hull  chest  of  old  dime  novels  that  had  fell 
to  her  from  a  distant  relative.  He  wuz  jest  sent  to 
prison,  bein'  a  forger  and  a  arson,  and,  as  it  wuz  for 
life,  why  this  chest  fell  onto  his  relations,  and  as  the 
rest  didn't  want  the  novels,  why  Tamer  Ami  got  'em. 

This  relation  who  owned  'em  had  had  a  large  family 
who  doted  on  the  novels,  but  they  had  most  on  'em  been 
transported  for  life  or  hung,  or  sunthin'  of  that  sort. 
His  wife  had  long  before  run  away  with  another  man, 
she  had  worshipped  the  novels  while  she  lived  in  the 
house  with  'em,  but  she  had  run  clear  away  out  of  sight, 
so  Tamer  Ann  got  'em,  as  I  say,  and  oh!  how  she  and 
Cicero  gloated  over  'em  and  devoured  'em.  Anna  didn't 
care  for  them,  good  land !  she  had  a  romance  in  her  own 
heart  that  took  up  all  her  time  and  tears,  poor  thing! 
Jack  wuzn't  old  enough  for  'em.  As  for  Hamen  and  his 
brother,  they  could  tell  their  own  lies,  good  land!  they 
didn't  need  the  novels,  so  Tamer  had  the  hull  run  on 
'em  herself,  she  and  Cicero. 


CHAPTER  VICE 

ELL,  to  resoom  backwards  for  a  spell.  Jo- 
siah  and  I  wuzn't  goin'  to  stay  only  two 
days  and  one  night,  but,  good  land!  they 
wouldn't  hear  a  word  to  our  goin'  so  soon, 
so  we  stayed  three  days  right  along.  But 
then,  as  Tamer  said,  think  of  the  visits  that  they  had 
made  to  us  that  wuz  onpaid.  Well,  I  thunk  on  'em  and 
thought  likely  as  not  it  wuz  our  duty  to  stay.  But  I  see 
lots  of  things  there  I  didn't  like  to  see.  I  hate  to  talk 
about  relations;  I  don't  think  it  the  right  thing  to  do. 
But  I  can't  help  sayin'  that  I  did  see  lots  of  things  that 
relations;  I  don't  think  it  the  right  thing  to  do.  But 
I  can't  help  sayin'  that  I  did  see  lots  of  things  that 
I  wanted  changed.  Not  Anna,  she  wuzn't  one  of  the 
things  I  wanted  changed,  no,  indeed!  she  and  Jack  wuz 
the  flowers  of  the  family  in  full  blow.  Anna  is  jest  as 
different  from  the  rest  of  her  family  as  light  is  from 
darkness,  and  a  good  deal  the  same  way,  and  I  believe 
Jack  would  come  up  a  good  deal  like  her  if  he  got  a 
chance. 

One  reason  is  why  Anna  is  so  different  from  her  Ma, 
she  wuz  brung  up  by  a  aunt  of  her  father's,  brung  up 
by  hand  by  Aunt  Judith  Smith,  who,  bein'  a  old  maid, 
couldn't,  it  stands  to  reason,  bring  her  up  in  any  other 
way.  Eor  years  after  Anna  wuz  born  Tamer  wuz  really 
sick,  and  this  aunt  lived  with  'em  and  took  care  of  Anna 


124  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

and  thought  all  the  world  of  her  till  her  death,  which 
occurred  when  Anna  wuz  fourteen.  She  wuz  brought 
up  dretful  good,  curious,  hain't  it,  she  bein'  a  old  maid, 
but  old  maids  are  sometimes  real  religious,  with  good 
common  horse  sense,  too,  and  Aunt  Judith  wuz.  And 
I  have  always  spozed  it  wuz  her  bringin'  up  and  her 
precepts  and  examples  that  made  Anna  so  different. 

You  see,  the  ideals  she  held  up  in  front  of  Anna 
wuzn't  fashion  and  expediency  and  outside  show  and 
vanity,  no,  indeed!  they  wuz  truth  and  honesty  and 
honor  and  simple  living  and  high  thinking.  She  held 
'em  up  in  front  of  her,  and  held  'em  high,  too,  and 
propped  'em  up  by  her  own  simple,  straightforward, 
noble,  self-sacrificin'  life.  For  it  wuzn't  any  comfort  to 
her  to  leave  her  little  quiet,  comfortable  home  to  take 
up  her  abode  in  the  house  of  a  Tamer  or  even  a  Hamen. 
But  she  shouldered  her  crosses  wherever  she  found  'em 
and  marched  on  with  'em  silently  and  oncomplainin'ly 
and  bravely,  and  folks  didn't  know  from  her  groanin's 
how  heavy  they  bore  down  on  her  shoulders. 

She  didn't  want  to  take  the  care  of  this  worse  than 
motherless  child  into  her  own  tired  hands.  And  she  had 
plenty  of  means  and  no  need  to,  if  she  hadn't  felt  it  to 
be  her  duty.  But  she  see  the  little  bark  jest  settin'  out, 
swashin'  and  dashin'  round  on  the  jagged  rocks  of  life, 
and  she  felt  it  to  be  her  duty  to  take  holt  of  the  helium. 
Hamen  had  always  been  her  favorite  nephew,  and  she 
wuz  dretful  sorry  for  his  poor  little  peaked  lookin'  baby. 
So,  as  I  say,  she  gin  up  her  comfort  and  ease  and  histed 
this  cross  onto  her  tired-out  back,  and  commenced 
trudgin'  along  the  road  of  life  with  it. 

And  wuzn't  it  queer  how  things  will  turn  out?  This 
job  she  had  tackled  only  from  a  sense  of  duty  and  in  a 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  125 

real  martyr  sperit  become  the  greatest  comfort  and 
pleasure  of  her  life.  For  pretty  soon  Love,  the  great 
high  priest,  come  in  and  sanctified  her  offerings  of  com- 
fort and  ease,  and  made  her  way  glorious.  How  she  did 
love  Anna,  and  how  Anna  did  love  her.  Of  course  clouds 
sometimes  dimmed  the  horizon,  shadders  from  Tamer's 
personality  and  influence  dimmed  the  clear  sky  that 
she  wanted  always  to  shine  down  onto  her  darling,  also 
some  lighter  shadders  from  Hamen's  onwisdom. 

But  take  it  as  a  hull,  Aunt  Judith's  influence  and 
sweet  wise  teachings  carried  the  day,  and  Anna  grew 
up  a  girl  of  a  thousand,  and  at  Aunt  Judith's  death 
(which  almost  broke  her  heart)  she  wuz  so  headed 
in  the  right  way  that  she  couldn't  be  turned  very  fur 
from  it  either  way,  not  by  Pa  or  Ma  or  any  other  onwise 
influence.  The  money  she  left  Anna  wuz  the  least  of  the 
riches  she  give  her. 

She  died  jest  about  the  time  that  Tamer  recovered 
her  health,  or  as  much  of  it  as  she  ever  did  recover, 
so  Tamer  had  the  care  of  Cicero  and  poor  little  Jack. 
But  then  Jack  had  Anna,  too,  to  kinder  lean  on,  for 
Tamer  had  another  spell  for  some  years  after  Jack 
wuz  born.  But  Cicero  never  would  hear  a  word  to  Anna, 
he  had  got  thoroughly  headed  in  his  Ma's  ways,  and 
then  I  spoze  it  wuz  kinder  hereditary  in  him,  too;  he 
wuz  born  that  way. 

Anna  is  real  good  lookin',  her  cheeks  are  as  pink  as 
fresh  young  damask  roses,  her  complexion  is  clear  and 
white  and  as  smooth  as  satin,  and  her  eyes  are  very 
dark,  and  soft,  and  bright,  too,  her  hair  is  dark  and 
wavy  and  kinks  up  in  cunnin'  little  curls  on  her  for- 
ward and  neck,  she  can't  do  it  up  so  but  what  them 
little  curls  will  escape  from  the  comb  and  cluster  round 


126  ^Samantha  on  Children's  EigJits 

her  white  neck  and  forward  as  if  it  loved  'em.  Oh, 
she  looks  well  enough,  as  I  have  told  her  time  and  agin: 

"  Anna,  if  you  will  only  be  as  good  as  you  look,  you 
will  git  along  first  rate."  As  I  sez  to  her  anon  or 
oftener,  "  Handsome  is  that  handsome  duz." 

And  she  sez,  "  That  is  jest  what  Aunt  Judith  always 
said,  Aunt  Samantha." 

But  I'd  look  at  her  all  the  time  with  that  admirin', 
appreciative  look  on  my  ej*ebrow  that  she  knew,  the 
witch,  jest  how  pretty  I  thought  she  wuz  (and  I  not 
helpin'  it  to  save  my  life).  Yes,  Anna  liked  me  dret- 
ful  well,  which  wuzn't  so  strange  when  one  comes  to 
think  how  well  I  liked  her.  And  she  told  me  right 
out  plain  and  square  that  her  feelin's  towards  that 
young  Von  Crank  wuz  almost  murderous,  and  she 
owned  up  to  mte  that  sometimes  when  he  wuz  standin' 
tip  so  straight  and  stiff  she  wuz  tempted  to  tip  him 
over,  and  sez  she,  "  I  don't  believe  he  would  bend  at 
all,  but  fall  right  over  straight  like  a  clothes  pin  or 
a  telegraph  pole." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  don't  try  to  do  that  in  the  parlor, 
Anna,  for  if  it  is  so,  think  of  the  damage  he  would  do 
to  the  furniture  on  the  other  side  of  the  room."  And 
I  guess  I  kinder  got  her  mind  offen  it.  But  she  sez, 
"  You  can't  bear  him  yourself,  Aunt  Samantha,  and  I 
know  it." 

"  Well,  dear,"  sez  I,  "  everybody  has  their  own  sta- 
tion house  in  life  to  fill,  and  I  spoze  he  has  his,  or  else 
why  should  he  have  a  station  house?" 

Sez  she,  "  He  needn't  come  round  me  with  his  mouldy 
old  compliments,  for  I  would  rather  live  with  Tom 
Willis  on  bread  and  water  than  with  him  in  a  palace." 

Anna  loves  Tom,  loves  him  as  she  duz  her  eyes,  and 


SamantHa  on  Children's  Rights  127 

as  I  say,  Hamenses  wife  had  invited  him  there  and  let 
'em  grow  up  together  like  a  mornin*  glory  vine  round 
the  pillow  of  a  porch,  never  sayin'  a  word  aginst  their 
bein'  together,  never  noticin'  that  under  the  divine 
spring  of  youth  and  love  her  heart's  tendrils  wuz  put- 
tin*  out  livin*  branches  and  twinin*  round  the  pillow 
of  his  steadfast  devotion,  jest  as  firmly  and  jest  as  on- 
beknown  to  her  as  the  vines  she  had  planted  wuz 
twinin'  round  their  supports  in  the  spring  and  summer 
of  the  year. 

She  waited,  Tamer  did,  till  the  heart's  tendrils  wuz 
wropped  so  completely  round  the  heart  of  Tom  Willis 
that  nothin'  but  death  could  ontwine  'em  (and  I  don't 
believe  that  death  can,  nor  Josiah  don't).  But,  how- 
sumever,  at  this  time  Tamer  Ann  stepped  in  and  begun 
to  tear  'em  off.  Just  because  Tom  wuz  poor,  or  that  is 
poor  in  money,  for  he  wuz  rich  in  all  the  qualities  that 
go  to  make  a  young  man  wealthy  in  himself,  and  there 
wuzn't  any  doubt  that  he  would  be  rich  in  money  in  a 
few  years  the  way  he  wuz  going  on  now.  But  his  family 
wuz  poor  but  pious,  and  Von  Crank  wuz  rich.  And 
Tamer  begun  to  tell  me  the  very  next  mornin'  after  I  got 
there  what  a  great  family  he  had  descended  from. 

And  I  sez,  "  How  big?  " 

And  she  sez,  "  <0ne  of  the  greatest  families  in  the 
State." 

"  "Well,"  sez  I,  "  that  don't  raise  him  in  my  estima- 
tion any.  There  is  a  man  in  Loontown  that  has  had 
thirty-two  children  by  his  different  wives,  but  he  is  a 
shiftless  creeter,  and  so  are  most  of  his  children." 

Sez  she,  "  I  don't  mean  that;  I  mean  an  old  family." 

"  How  old?  "  sez  I  calmly.  And  I  went  on,  "  There 
is  a  man  in  Spoon  Settlement  that  has  got  a  grandchild 


128  *Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

over  seventy.  And  that  you  know,  Tamer  Ann,  must 
make  the  old  man  pretty  old,  and,  in  fact,  a  pretty  old 
family,  for  they  are  all  livin',  father,  son,  and  grand- 
son. But,  good  land!  nobody  ever  thought  of  lookin' 
up  to  old  Father  Minkler,  why,  he  is  on  the  town,  and 
has  been  on  it  for  years,  and  they  say  now  his  son  is 
on  it  and  his  grandson  is  jest  thinkin'  of  gittin'  on  it. 
Good  land!  I  should  never  think  of  lookin'  up  to  a  fam- 
ily because  they  wuz  old." 

"  Well,"  she  sez,  "  they've  descended  from  a  long 
line  of  ancestors,  they  have  great  reason  to  be  proud 
of  it,  there  is  where  they  have  the  advantage  of  us." 

"  Oh,  shaw!  "  sez  I,  "  that  is  jest  what  we've  all 
done,  or  it  stands  to  reason  that  we  shouldn't  be  here. 
We  have  had  to  have  ancestors,  everybody  has.  I  don't 
see  that  he  has  any  more  than  we  have,  so  fur  as  that  is 
concerned.  I  don't  spoze  he  has  had  more'n  one  father, 
or  any  of  'em  have  had  more'n  one  father  apiece,  and 
that  is  jest  what  we've  all  had.  If  he  had  had  several 
fathers  and  mothers  it  might  be  sunthin'  to  boast  over, 
and  I  don't  know  as  it  would  after  all,  for  the  text  sez 
*  every  man  stands  and  falls  on  himself,'  or  words  to 
that  effect." 

And  then  Tamer  Ann  sez  agin,  real  hautily,  "  He  is 
from  one  of  the  old  Dutch  families  it  makes  folks  so 
proud  to  be  descended  from.  He  is  a  direct  descendant 
of  the  Poltroons." 

"  Well,"  sez  I  calmly,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder  a  mite  if 
he  wuz,  but  it  don't  raise  him  up  any  in  my  estimation, 
and  it  wouldn't  if  he  had  had  Solomon  and  Moses  for 
grandfathers.  When  I  gather  a  white  lily  I  pick  it  for 
its  beauty  and  sweetness,  and  not  for  the  soil  it  sprung 
from,  good  land!  what  do  I  care  whether  it  grew  on 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  129 

sandy  sile  or  gravelly,  or  swampy,  or  anything?  I  prize 
it  for  its  own  beauty  and  sweetness  that  it  has  drawn 
by  its  own  life  out  of  the  earth.  Good  land!  I  should 
jest  as  soon  take  up  a  handful  of  this  sile  and  treasure 
it  up  and  try  to  see  how  it  come  to  nourish  so  sweet  a 
life  as  I  would  to  grope  back  amongst  the  dust  of  them 
old  Poltroons.  Though  to  be  sure  it  is  nateral  that  a 
posy  should  strike  some  clingin'  roots  down  into  the 
sile  it  grew  on,  it  is  nater  and  can't  be  helped.  You 
take  any  posey  that  is  healthy  and  vigorous,  and  take 
any  tree  or  bush  whatsumever,  and  when  you  pull  it 
out  of  its  home  it  takes  a  wrench,  a  hard  wrench  to  start 
it,  the  tendrils  strike  so  deep.  God  made  posies  and 
hearts  kinder  clingin'  in  their  nater  and  they  hang 
onto  their  old  homes.  It  is  nateral  for  folks  to  look 
back  with  pride  upon  the  noble  doin's  of  their  fore- 
fathers if  theyVe  done  'em,  but  to  boast  over  a  Pol- 
troon jest  from  the  fact  of  his  bein'  a  Poltroon— I  should 
never  boast  over  it,  never." 

"  Patroon,"  sez  Tamer  hautily,  "  I  have  corrected 
you  before  in  this." 

"  Well,"  sez  I  mildly,  "  they  sound  considerable  alike, 
and  when  there  are  so  many  big  words  that  mean  about 
the  same  thing  it  is  nateral  that  folks  should  sometimes 
git  'em  kinder  mixed." 

"  They  wuz  high  families,"  sez  Tamer,  "  they  de- 
scended from  the  Dutch  settlers  on  Manhattan  Island, 
that  the  grandest  families  of  to-day  claim  with  pride  as 
being  their  ancestors." 

"  Oh,"  sez  I,  "  you  mean  them  old  market  gardeners, 
them  old  cabbage  raisers,  fur  hunters,  and  pumpkin 
farmers.  Why,  how  you  talk,"  sez  I,  "  I  think  more  of 
Von  Crank  than  I  did.  I  had  no  idee  his  ancestors  wuz 


130  'Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

good  honest  farmers,  plantin'  and  diggin'  their  own  sile. 
I  spozed  from  his  looks  and  mean  that  he  had  never 
done  anything  more  useful  than  to  gnaw  canes  and  look 
through  a  glass  eye  onto  nothin',  I  am  glad  you  told  me, 
Tamer,  why  his  ancestors  must  be  real  congenial  to  Jo- 
siah  and  me,  though  of  course  we  own  more  land  and 
live  better  than  them  old  Dutchmen  did.  But  they  wuz 
likely,  though  poor,  and  put  to  it  for  things,  and  a  sort 
of  beer  guzzlin',  ignorant  set,  but  not  to  blame  for  not 
knowin'  much." 

Tamer  didn't  like  it,  but  she  turned  the  subject  off 
onto  her  resolve  to  not  let  Anna  have  anything  to  do 
with  Tom  Willis,  seemin'ly  not  carin'  a  mite  what  wuz 
goin'  on  in  Anna's  heart,  no  more  than  if  she  wuz  one 
of  the  enchanted  females  she  had  read  so  much  about. 

But  all  this  time,  in  spite  of  Tamer  Ann's  perfect  in- 
difference to  the  life  happiness  of  Anna,  she  didn't  let 
anything  interfere  with  her  riggin'  her  up  in  the  latest 
fashion,  she  didn't  let  any  of  the  "  Enchanted  Females 
of  the  Wild  Forest;  or,  Petrified  Dragons  of  the  Dark 
Prairies,"  or  the  last  of  the  new  diseases  hender  her 
from  seein'  with  her  own  eyes  that  Anna  had  the  newest 
and  curiousest  kind  of  tattin'  on  her  underclothin'  and 
her  dresses  made  in  the  latest  fashion,  and  all  the 
smaller  things  about  her  clothin'  wuz  in  first  rate  order. 

These  Tamer  Ann  called  the  essentials  of  life,  and 
she  allowed  nothin'  to  interfere  with  'em,  but  if  she  had 
been  one  of  the  Enchanted  Princesses  or  petrified  ani- 
mals she  couldn't  been  more  dumb  and  deef  to  the 
real  soul  and  heart  needs  of  her  child.  It  is  pitiful, 
mighty  pitiful,  when  the  door  of  a  child's  heart  is  block- 
aded day  by  day  by  the  stupidity  and  ignorance  of  a 
mother,  till  at  last  the  doors  and  winders  are  all  shet 


SamantHa  on  Children's  Rights  131 

up  and  the  mother  shot  out  doors,  ornamentin'  the  out- 
side with  shiffon  and  jewelry  and  knowin'  nothin*  of 
what  is  goin'  on  inside. 

It  is  pitiful,  and  in  ninety  cases  out  of  a  hundred  the 
mother  is  the  one  to  blame.  Why,  good  land!  she  is 
inside  in  the  first  on't,  and  there  is  nothin*  to  hender 
her  from  keepin'  inside  but  ignorance,  carelessness,  neg- 
lect, lack  of  sympathy,  or  lack  of  tune.  In  Tamer's 
case  it  wuz  mostly  lack  of  time  as  I  have  shown.  The 
elopin'  females  and  Dejected  Denizens  of  the  Dungeon 
Keep  kep'  her  too  busy,  them  and  her  basiler  meni- 
gitis  and  sinevetus  and  sangeletus  and  perinitus  and 
etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  and  her  domestic  duties,  some  on  'em 
which  she  wuz  to  blame  for  undertaking  and  I  told  her 
so.  She  had  a  new  hired  girl  whose  real  name  wuz 
Hannah,  but  who  thought  it  would  be  more  romantick 
to  call  herself  Arabeller,  and  she  made  a  specialty  of 
the  "  beller,"  she  wanted  it  pronounced  Arabeller,  and 
Tamer  Ann,  thinkin'  that  it  would  be  real  romantick  to 
have  a  hired  girl  by  that  name,  she  jined  forces  with 
her,  and  by  the  time  I  got  there  the  name  Hannah  wuz 
forgot,  seemin'ly,  and  Arabeller  wuz  the  name. 

Well,  Arabeller  wuz  a  girl  I  wouldn't  have  inside  my 
house.  She  wuz  big  and  fat,  and  I  never  see  her  face 
when  it  wuz  what  I  called  clean,  and  her  dirty  lookin' 
hair,  kinder  drab  color,  wuz  all  covered  with  hair  oil 
and  scented  with  bergamont.  What  her  complexion 
would  be  if  it  wuz  washed  clean  I  didn't  know,  and  spoze 
I  never  shall,  but  as  it  wuz  it  looked  muddy  and  grimy, 
and  wuz  all  covered  with  black  heads  and  pimples,  and 
coarse  powder.  She  wore,  in  the  afternoon,  her  cheap, 
gaudy  dresses  in  a  train  draggin'  round  the  house,  and 
cheap,  high-heeled  shues,  settin'  table  and  washin' 


132  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

dishes  with  them  dirty  ruffles  floppin'  after  her,  wipin' 
up  all  the  dirt  and  nastiness  that  she  couldn't  seem  to 
git  enough  of  in  any  other  way. 

She  had  girted  her  waist  down  into  the  smallest  di- 
mension she  could,  but  bein'  fat  and  her  buttons  not  to 
be  relied  on,  there  would  be  dretful  gaps  on  the  waist  in 
different  places,  and  between  the  waist  and  draggly 
skirt,  and  as  she  wuz  one  of  the  girls  so  common  in  the 
country,  who  won't  work  out  unless  she  is  one  of  the 
family,  her  clothin'  showed  up  to  good  advantage  at 
the  table,  the  dirt  on  her  face  and  dress  bein'  empha- 
sized by  blotches  of  flour  and  grease,  stove  blackin', 
prespiration,  and  sweat. 

She,  too,  wuz  most  always  to  be  seen  with  a  dime 
novel  in  her  hand.  Sometimes  she  would  stop  and  take 
up  "  The  Queen  of  the  Haunted  Palace  "  in  her  hands 
and  foller  her  fortunes  while  her  dish  water  got  cold. 
And  once  I  see  her  myself  readin'  the  Police  Gazette 
while  she  wuz  fryin'  sassige,  and  one  end  of  the  dirty 
sheet  drizzled  down  into  the  fat  (I  didn't  eat  any  of  the 
sassige). 

She  had  took  music  lessons.  Her  Ma  went  out  wash- 
in*  and  had  to  mortgage  her  cow,  the  only  thing  she 
possessed  in  the  world,  to  pay  for  Arabeller's  lessons. 
And,  though  there  wuz  no  prospects  of  her  ever  havin' 
anything  to  practice  on  more  melogious  that  the  clothes 
wringer,  no  earthly  prospect  or  heavenly,  either,  for  I 
didn't  believe  she  would  ever  be  good  enough  to  play  on 
the  golden  harp  even  if  she  knew  the  notes.  But  she 
would  take  lessons,  and  now  when  she  could  escape  for 
a  minute  from  the  kitchen  we  could  hear  her  singin* 
and  playin'  at  the  top  of  her  rough,  coarse  voice,  "  The 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  133 

Bowery  Boy  "  and  the  "  Beatious  Ballet  Girl/'  which 
she  pronounced  "  beauchieus  ballet." 

If  she  had  a  spark  of  talent  I  should  have  approved 
of  her  ambition,  but  she  couldn't  sing  no  more  than  a 
horse  can  make  fried  cakes.  And  I  told  Tamer  that  if 
her  Ma  had  gin  the  cow  music  lessons  and  mortgaged 
Arabeller  to  pay  for  them,  she  would  have  got  better 
returns  for  her  money,  though  who  would  take  the  mort- 
gage wuz  more  than  I  knew,  unless  it  was  Cicero. 

Well,  as  I  told  Tamer  Ann,  I  couldn't  have  such  a 
girl  in  my  house  overnight,  bold,  boastin',  insolent,  lyin', 
nasty  inside  and  outside,  leerin',  brazen,  and  altogether 
worthless.  But  Tamer  said  she  got  her  real  cheap,  and 
she  thought  by  havin'  her  instead  of  a  better  girl  she 
could  save  money  enough  to  git  a  new  sealskin  cloak 
and  a  bracelet  out  of  the  hosuehold  money,  so  she  hired 
her  for  a  song  almost. 

11  Not  one  of  her  songs,  I  hope,"  sez  I. 

"  No,"  Tamer  said,  she  said  it  in  a  parable  way. 
Well,  as  nigh  as  I  could  make  out  from  what  I  see  my- 
self and  from  what  I  hearn,  Cicero  thought  it  would 
be  kinder  manly  and  like  one  of  his  Bandit  Heroes  to 
fall  in  love  with  her,  and  pay  her  attentions,  not  in  the 
good  open  hullsome  way  of  comrades  and  playmates, 
in  her  few  hours  of  leisure,  but  in  the  dime  novel, 
pirate  way,  brigand  and  burglar,  romantick,  sentimental 
way. 

There  wuz  a  cave  in  the  woods  back  of  Hamenses,  and 
he  used  to  retire  there  quite  a  good  deal.  And  he  tried 
time  and  agin  to  run  away  with  her.  She  wuzn't  likely, 
so  Tamer  said,  and  she  knew  she  would  have  to  watch 
her  when  she  hired  her,  but  she  said  she  thought  she 
could,  with  her  family's  help.  She  seemed  to  specially 


134  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

count  on  Cicero's  help  from  her  talk  to  me,  but  'tenny- 
rate  she  owned  up  that  it  made  her  sights  of  trouble. 

And  I  sez  to  her  in  the  cause  of  duty,  "  Tamer  Ann, 
why  did  you  hire  a  girl  that  you  thought  wuzn't  likely? 
Why  did  you  bring  such  a  girl  into  the  house  with  your 
children!  I  wuz  never  much  of  a  hand  to  wave  fire 
brands  round  in  piles  of  tow  and  flax,  or  light  parlor 
matches  in  powder  magazines.  But,  howsumever, ' '  sez  I, 
"  everybody  hain't  alike,  and  I  spoze  mebby  you 
thought  you  would  git  along." 

"  Yes,"  sez  she,  "  for  I  knew  we  could  watch  her 
through  the  day,  and  then  we  always  nail  her  up  at 
night." 

"  Nail  her  up!  "  sez  I,  agast  at  the  idee,  "  what  do 
you  mean?  " 

Sez  she,  "  There  hain't  no  lock  to  her  door,  but  we 
have  got  an  old  door  that  we  set  aginst  hern  and  nail 
it  up  every  night." 

"  Don't  you  feel  queer  while  you  are  doin'  it?  "  sez 
I,  for  truly  it  made  me  feel  queer  as  a  dog  jest  hearin' 
it. 

"  Yes,"  sez  she,  "  I  do  feel  queer,  and  specially  when 
we  drag  her  in  by  moonlight,  for  she  has  often  tried  to 
run  away  with  Cicero,  but  we  would  some  on  us  hear 
her,  and  then  we  would  have  to  go  out  and  drag  her 
back  and  nail  her  up." 

"  Wuzn't  it  a  sight  of  work?  "  sez  I  pityin'ly. 

"  Yes,"  sez  she,  it  wuz  a  sight  of  work,  for  she  wuz 
so  mean  that  she  would  let  her  feet  drag,  and  they 
would  have  to  pull  her  back  by  main  force. 

Sez  I,  "  Tamer  Ann,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be 
easier  to  wash  the  dishes  and  sweep  than  to  do  this, 
and  that  is  about  all  Arabeller  duz  anyway." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  135 

Tamer  said  it  wuz  a  good  deal  more  work,  but  it  wuz 
genteel  to  employ  a  servant,  it  give  a  sort  of  a  air  to 
a  house  to  have  a  servant  in  it. 

And  I  sez,  "  Yes,  it  duz  give  considerable  air,  if  you 
have  to  be  rushin'  round  at  any  time  of  night  to  drag 
her  in  and  nail  her  up." 

"  Yes,"  sez  Tamer,  "  of  course  my  family  help  me, 
but  that  has  made  me  sights  of  worriment  agin,  for  I 
most  know  that  Cicero  has  kep'  up  a  clandestine  corre- 
spondence with  her,  and  would  slip  notes  into  her  hand 
while  he  wuz  helpin'  me  drag  her  back.  I  have  ketched 
him,"  sez  she,  "  leavin'  the  nails  loose  so  she  could 
break  out  while  he  wuz  helpin'  me  nail  her  up." 

"  Tamer,"  sez  I,  real  earnest,  "  do  hear  to  me;  do 
git  rid  of  Arabeller,  or  you  will  sup  sorrer  from  it  in 
the  end."  And  I  see  that  all  that  wuz  keepm'  her  back 
from  it  wuz  the  idee  of  style  and  gentility. 

I  didn't  dread  her  influence  so  much  over  Anna,  for  I 
felt  that  her  nater  wuz  so  healthy  and  wholesome  and 
well  grounded  in  good  actions  that  it  would  reject  the 
pizen  atmosphere.  And  little  Jack,  I  hoped  and  prayed 
none  of  her  acts  would  even  be  known  to  him  by  name. 
But  I  worried  more  than  considerable  over  the  hull  mat- 
ter, and  so  did  the  neighbors,  I  could  see.  Why,  one 
night  while  I  wuz  there  a  neighborin'  woman,  Miss 
Presley,  walked  right  into  Tamer's  kitchen  without 
knockin',  with  an  old  shawl  over  her  head  and  a  lan- 
tern in  both  hands.  Cicero  had  gone  into  her  paster  and 
took  both  her  horses  and  gone  off  somewhere  with  'em, 
he  and  Arabeller.  She  wuz  a  old  maid  and  said  she  had 
always  been  imposed  upon,  but  she  demanded  help  to 
hunt  her  horses. 

So  Tamer  and  Hamen  had  to  git  up  and  pacify  Miss 


136  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

Presley  and  help  hunt,  for  sure  enough  when  they  went 
to  Cicero's  room  he  wuzn't  there,  and  when  they  went  to 
Arabeller's  room  there  the  nails  wuz  pulled  out  and  she 
wuz  let  loose,  and  we  found  out  afterwards  they  had 
both  run  away  to  git  married.  But  Hamen  started  off 
horseback,  he  and  the  hired  man,  and  they  catched 
them  jest  before  they  reached  the  minister's  house  down 
on  Stuny  Creek. 

Well,  that  broke  that  up,  but  Arabeller  went  about 
the  house  real  surly,  and  Cicero,  though  he  didn't  say 
much,  .had  such  mysterious  looks  that  I  most  knew  he 
wuz  meditatin'  rapine  or  burglarly  or  sunthin'  or  ruther. 
But,  as  it  come  out  afterwards,  he  wuz  plannin'  to  carry 
Arabeller  off  into  his  cave  and  keep  her  there  till  he 
could  bring  a  clergyman  stealthily  to  the  trysting  place 
to  unite  them.  That  all  happened  after  I  wuz  there. 
But  I  worried  about  him  considerable  nights  after  I 
went  to  bed,  and  wondered  sadly  how  it  would  all  come 
out. 

But  to  resoom  backwards.  The  next  mornin'  after  we 
went  there  Tamer  got  a  good  breakfast.  She  wuz  suf- 
ferin'  from  sinevetus,  she  said,  and  wuz  dretful  afraid 
of  basler  menigitus,  but  they  didn't  hender  her  from 
gittin'  a  first  rate  meal— good  steak,  creamed  potatoes, 
hot  rolls,  coffee,  etc.,  and  she  did  it  almost  all  herself, 
for  Anna  had  her  work  to  do,  and  Arabeller  couldn't 
git  a  good  meal  to  save  her  life. 


CHAPTER  IX 

ELL,  after  breakfast  Tamer  and  I  wuz  in 
the  settin'  room  both  on  us  sewin',  for  I 
had  took  a  fine  shirt  of  Josiah's  to  finish, 
and  she  wuz  embroiderin'  some  lace  ruffles 
trim  a  skirt  for  Anna. 

"  Tamer,  I  should  think  such  work  would  be  hard  on 
your  basiler  disease,  whatever  it  is.  Hain't  it  dretful 
hard  to  embroider  that  fine  lace?  " 

"  Yes,  Josiah  Allen's  wife,  it  is  hard,  but  you  know 
I  don't  mind  any  labor  or  any  care  if  I  can  advance  my 
children's  happiness,  you  know  jest  how  I  watch  over 
their  interests  and  am  willing  to  spend  and  be  spent  in 
their  service." 

And  she  bent  closter  still  over  the  fine  complicated 
stitches  of  that  wearisome  lookin'  embroidery,  and  I 
thought  and  couldn't  help  it,  if  you  would  spend  half 
or  a  quarter  of  the  time  you  spend  in  ornamentin'  the 
bodies  of  your  children,  in  lookin'  out  for  their  souls 
and  hearts,  and  studyin'  their  welfare,  you  would  come 
out  better  in  the  end. 

And  at  this  very  minute  little  Jack  come  in  lookin' 
bright  as  the  mornin',  which  wuz  very  fair.  He  wuz 
dressed  up  slick  and  clean  in  a  little  blue  suit,  with  a 
deep  collar  braided  painfully  by  Tamer  Ann  in  fine 
black  braid,  and  all  up  and  down  the  side  of  his  little 
legs  that  fine  embroidery  run.  And  Tamer  begun  to 
charge  him  the  minute  he  got  into  the  room  to  not  run 


138  VSamantha  on  Children's  Eights 

round  out  doors  for  fear  he  would  soil  that  beautiful 
new  suit.  "  You  know,"  sez  she,  "  your  Ma  done  that 
for  you  when  she  couldn't  hardly  lift  her  head  from  the 
pillow.  It  almost  killed  your  Ma,  that  work  did." 

I  see  at  this  Jack's  little  face  grew  overcast  with  a 
couple  of  shadders.  One  wuz  cast  from  the  martyr's 
cloudy  brow,  no  doubt  the  thought  of  kiflin'  his  Ma  wuz 
more  or  less  painful  to  him,  and  the  other  and  deeper 
shadder  wuz  that  he  couldn't  run  round  free  as  the 
young  colts  that  wuz  prancin'  about  the  medder  by  the 
side  of  the  house.  His  poor  little  legs  wuz  jest  achin' 
to  jump  and  bound  and  curvit  round,  and  there  they  wuz 
doomed  to  imprisonment  in  a  braided  fortress.  Oh, 
my  I  I  wuz  sorry  for  Jack,  sorry  as  I  could  be.  Well, 
Tamer  and  I  sot  there  and  had  quite  an  agreeable  visit, 
Tamer  has  her  properties,  though  she  is  sot  and  over- 
bearin',  I  mean  when  she  is  herself,  more'n  half  the 
time  I  do  believe  she  imagines  herself  a  Female  Ama- 
zonian or  a  African  Princess  or  sunthin'. 

We  talked  about  the  different  relations  on  both  sides, 
and  quite  a  good  deal  about  my  grandchildren;  she 
talked  middlin'  agreeable,  but  what  I  can't  understand 
in  her  is  her  total  lack  of  good  judgment.  Why,  she 
said  that  there  had  been  other  little  girls  that  looked 
jest  as  well  as  Tirzah  Ann's  youngest,  little  Anna 
Thyrza,  and  she  said  she  didn't  like  the  name,  and  if 
Tirzah  had  called  her  after  herself  sKe  ort  to  called  her 
Tirzah  Ann.  Sez  I,  "  We  call  her  Delight,  she  don't 
hardly  know  she  has  got  any  other  name,  and,"  sez  I, 
"  our  daughter  can't  bear  the  name  of  Tirzah  Ann,  she 
thinks  it  is  so  old  fashioned  and  humbly,  and  so  I  don't 
know  that  she  is  so  much  to  blame  for  naming  her  in 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  139 

this  roundabout  way  after  herself.  Whitfield  would 
have  the  baby  named  after  her  Ma,"  sez  I. 

Sez  Tamer,  "  I  shall  always  call  the  child  Tirzah." 
And  agin  I  told  her  this  it  wuzn't  the  child's  name,  and 
agin  Tamer  sez  firmly,  "  Tirzah  is  a  good  name,  and  I 
shall  call  her  Tirzah."  And  so  she  did  call  her  through 
the  hull  of  our  conversation  in  spite  of  all  my  explana- 
tions. 

Well,  bein*  a  visitor,  I  thought  I  wouldn't  contend 
with  her,  but  I  wuz  some  mad  on  the  inside  about  it. 
But  jest  while  we  wuz  talkin'  [Tamer  looked  out  towards 
the  road  and  said,  "  If  there  don't  come  Aunt  Nabby 
Barnes!  oh,  dear  me!  the  sight  of  her  fairly  makes  me 
sick,  and  she  will  stay  all  day  most  likely.  Well,  we 
have  got  to  make  the  best  of  it,  I  spoze,  she  has  got  lots 
of  money  and  no  heirs,  and  she  thinks  a  good  deal  of 
Jack.  Now,  Jack,"  sez  she,  to  the  little  boy  who  wuz 
lookin'  on  with  open  eyes  and  ears,  "  you  must  be  good 
to  her  and  pay  attention  to  her  all  day."  And  then 
agin  she  resoomed  her  complaints.  "  Why  couldn't 
she  have  stayed  away  to-day  and  let  us  alone?  I  hope 
she  won't  stay  long."  By  that  time  Aunt  Nabby  had 
knocked  at  the  door,  and  Tamer  met  her  with  enthosi- 
asm  and  several  kisses,  and  sez: 

"  Oh,  my  dear  Aunt  Nabby!  how  glad  we  all  are  to  see 
you!  Why  haven't  you  been  here  before?  It  seems  an 
age  since  we  have  seen  you;  you  have  come  now  to  stay 
a  good,  long  while  with  us,  haven't  you?  Jack  come 
right  here  and  kiss  dear  Aunt  Nabby." 

"  I  won't,"  sez  Jack.    "  I  don't  want  her  here." 

"  Do  you  come  this  minute,  Jack,  and  kiss  dear  Aunt 
Nabby.  Jack  talks  about  you  so  much,  Aunt  Nabby; 
he  thinks  everything  of  you." 


140  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

11  I  don't,"  sez  Jack;  "  I  don't  think  anything  of  her 
at  all." 

11  Jack,  do  you  come  here  this  minute  and  kiss  Aunt 
Nabby,  or  I  will  punish  you  severely." 

Jack  dragged  himself  towards  her  as  if  a  heavy 
weight  hung  to  his  feet,  and  put  his  cheek  up  against 
hers.  He  didn't  kiss  her,  I  don't  believe,  but  his  mother 
thought  he  did,  and  so  she  let  him  off. 

Well,  that  afternoon  Jack  told  a  fib,  and  his  mother 
ketched  him  at  it.  It  wuz  what  they  call  a  white  lie, 
as  for  me  I  have  always  made  a  practice  of  thinkin' 
that  lies  are  never  white,  that  they  are  never  any  color 
but  black.  But  this  one  of  Jack's  wuzn't  very  black, 
anyway,  it  wuz  a  sort  of  a  small  light  colored  one  (if 
they  are  ever  light  colored).  But  you  ort  to  seen  the 
fuss  Tamer  Ann  made  over  it,  and  it  wuz  jest  what  ort 
to  be  done,  he  ortn't  to  be  allowed  to  fib.  But  who 
learnt  him  to  lie?  Who  sot  him  the  pattern?  Them 
wuz  the  two  questions  that  wuz  hantin'  me  as  I  hearn 
Tamer  Ann  whippin'  him  and  heard  Jack  cryin'  over  it. 

Tamer  come  downstairs  completely  exhausted,  and  sez 

she,  "  Oh,  what  a  time  I  have  had!  What  a  job  it  is 
to  bring  up  children  right!  My  arms  ache  as  if  they 
would  come  off,  but  I  will  bring  my  children  up  right 
if  my  arms  do  come  off  in  the  job.  Lyin'  is  sunthin'  I 
won't  have  in  this  house." 

And  Tamer  meant  what  she  said,  I  hain't  no  idee 
but  what  she  did,  she  thought  she  abominated  lyin'  and 
never  mistrusted  she  had  been  lyin'  all  the  mornin'  her- 
self, about  three  and  a  half  hours  of  clear,  stiddy  lie, 
black  as  a  coal.  She  didn't  mistrust  it,  but  in  the  cause 
of  duty  I  reminded  her  of  it,  for  I  loved  Jack  and 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  141 

couldn't  bear  to  see  him  spilte,  and  I  sez,  "  Children 
are  quick  to  f oiler  patterns." 

And  she  sez,  tostin'  her  head,  "  Nobody  ever  ketched 
me  in  a  lie,  or  Hamen,  either." 

Sez  I,  "  Jack  heard  you  groanin'  and  dreadin'  Aunt 
Nabby,  and  hatin'  to  see  her,  to  her  back,  and  then 
kissin'  and  tellin'  her  how  glad  you  wuz  to  see  her  to 
her  face;  what  is  that,  Tamer  Ann  Allen,  what  is  that?  " 

She  tested  her  head  agin  and  sez,  "  Oh,  you  have 
got  to  do  such  little  things  to  git  along  peaceable."  Sez 
I,  "  Well,  I  spoze  Jack  thought  he  had  got  to  tell  his 
little  lie  in  order  to  git  along  smooth." 

Sez  Tamer  Ann,  "  This  is  entirely  different;  we  older 
ones  have  the  duties  of  society  restin'  on  us " 

"  The  older  ones,"  sez  I,  interruptin'  her,  "  ort  to 
behave  themselves  and  not  set  patterns  of  falsehood  be- 
fore the  children." 

"  Society,  as  it  is  now  organized,"  sez  Tamer  Ann, 
"  cannot  exist  and  run  smoothly  without  a  little,  not 
exactly  falsehood  or  deceit,  I  wouldn't  use  exactly 
those  words " 

"  I  would,"  sez  I  firmly,  "  I  would,  that  is  jest  what 
they  be,  jest  what  you  used  this  mornin'  and  whipped 
Jack  for  this  afternoon." 

"  Society  would  break  in  pieces  if  it  were  not  for  the 
oil  of  these  qualities,  which  I  cannot  exactly  name " 

"  I  can,"  sez  I  firmly;  "  I  can  name  'em." 

"It  it  were  not  for  this  to  soften  the  friction  of  the 
machinery,  society  would  break  in  pieces." 

"  Then  let  it  break  into  pieces,"  sez  I,  "  into  a  hun- 
dred pieces.  But  surely,"  I  sez,  "  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  truth  and  frankness  and  simplicity  and  honor  in  the 
world,  surely  there  are  them  that  live  their  lives  in  a 


142  SamantJia  on  Children's  Rights 

simple,  honest  way,  not  hidin'  or  coverin'  up,  nor  pre- 
tendin'  to  be  what  they  are  not,  but  jest  go  on  from  day 
to  day  and  from  year  to  year  doin'  their  best,  not  pre- 
tendin'  their  best  is  any  better  than  it  is,  and  not  pre- 
tendin'  that  it  is  any  worse  ^which  is  jest  as  wrong, 
though  we  don't  look  at  it  in  that  light).  Not  awed 
by  them  above  'em  in  worldly  wealth  and  station,  think- 
in*  how  little  one  really  can  own  in  this  life,  not  lookin' 
down  on  them  beneath  'em  in  worldly  knowledge  or 
wealth,  thinkin'  how  different  God  looks  on  different 
gifts  from  what  we  do,  and  thinkin'  mebby  he  counts 
wealth  of  heart  more  worthy  than  wealth  of  intellect. 
For  that  very  reason  havin'  no  contempt  for  common 
people  or  common  things,  knowing'  well  that  what  we 
call  common  He  might  call  oncommon.  The  beggar 
mebby  with  his  heart  full  of  prophecy  and  hope  beatin' 
under  his  squalid  rags,  and  the  king  like  as  not  car- 
ryin'  his  poor  starved  heart  to  a  banquet  with  his  royal 
robes  trailin'  about  him.  We  can't  see  through  these 
rags  and  robes  always,  and  see  what  poverty  or 
wealth  they  cover.  So  it  is  best  to  carry  our  heads  and 
minds  jest  as  straight  and  stiddy  as  we  can,  and  doin' 
our  own  duty  we  will  have  less  time  to  either  look  up  or 
down  on  our  poor  fellow  mortals  travelin'  along  the 
road  with  us,  we  won't  have  the  time  to  pretend  to  like 
them  when  we  don't,  to  be  overjoyed  to  see  'em  when  we 
hain't,  but  will  try  to  tell  the  truth  with  fear  and  trem- 
blin'." 

Sez  Tamer  Ann,  "  Would  you  tell  everybody  right  out 
blunt  what  you  think  of  'em?  " 

"  No,"  sez  I  firmly,  "  no,  indeed!  that  would  make 
the  world  too  curious  a  place,  that  would  make  circuses 
and  shows  and  curosities  too  common  and  frequent  in 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  143 

our  streets.  Oh,  no,"  sez  I,  lookin'  pensively  at  Tamer 
Ann,  who  had  begun  to  embroider  agin  fiercely,  "  I 
should  hate  to  tell  folks  what  I  thought  of  'em  for  even 
half  an  hour.  And  there  is  no  need  of  it,  everybody 
can  mind  their  own  bizness  a  good  deal  of  the  time,  it 
don't  require  much  of  any  nack  to  keep  your  tongue 
between  your  teeth,  and  not  tell  what  you  think,  to  keep 
back  things  when  it  hain't  necessary  to  tell  'em."  Sez 
I  reasonable,  "  It  is  hard  to  do  oft  times,  but  it  is  much 
better  than  to  say  a  lot  of  things  you  don't  mean." 

Sez  Tamer  Ann,  "  Folks  will  git  into  places  in  this 
world  where  it  is  impossible  to  git  out  peaceable  with- 
out wigglin'  round  and  deceivin'  a  little." 

11  There  is  always  a  open  place  above  'em,"  sez  I,  "  let 
'em  look  for  help  there  and  they  will  git  it,  and,"  sez  I 
firmly,  "  I  have  always  found  that  truth  wuz  the  best 
to  depend  on  in  the  long  run  even  from  a  worldly  point 
of  view,  to  say  nothin'  of  right  and  wrong.  It  hain't 
half  so  hard  to  keep  kinder  still  and  not  talk  a  lot  of 
trash  you  don't  mean,  and  at  the  same  time  it  saves 
your  breath  to  talk  considerable  about  what  you  do  like. 
And  that  I  wuz  always  quite  a  case  to  do.  I  always 
seem  to  have  to  talk  about  folks  and  things  that  I  like. 
The  world  is  so  full  of  beauty  and  goodness  and  glory, 
and  power  and  grandeur  and  loveliness,  you  meet  all 
the  time  folks  so  full  of  good  qualities,  things  to  admire 
and  like,  that  it  uses  up  my  breath.  I  never  seem  to 
have  any  left  to  praise  up  things  and  folks  I  don't  like 
and  look  admirin'  at  'em,  I  don't  seem  to  have  the  time 
and  breath  even  if  I  wanted  to,  which  I  don't,  Heaven 
knows." 

"  Oh,  well,"  sez  Tamer  Ann,  sithin*  deep,  "  it  is  so 
hard  to  JOLQW,  what  to  do,  sometimes  I  think  it  is  better 


144  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

to  use  a  little  deceit,  if  by  doin'  so  you  can  make  folks 
feel  agreeable,  and  make  yourself  and  others  happier." 

Sez  I  dryly,  very  dry,  dry  as  chips,  "  I  spoze  that  is 
how  Jack  felt,  I  spoze  he  felt  that  it  would  make  you 
happier  if  he  told  you  he  had  done  what  you  sot  him  to 
do,  and  Jack  had  partly  done  it,  as  you  know  very  well. 
I  spoze  he  felt  that  it  would  make  you  and  himself  hap- 
pier and  the  friction  lighter  on  the  wheels  of  society, 
and  his  poor  little  back,  if  he  told  you  it  wuz  all  done. 
But  you  didn't  seem  to  like  it,  and  the  friction  wuz 
severe  judgin'  from  the  groanin's  and  screamin's  I 
heard  from  upstairs.  But  as  long  as  you  do  the  same 
thing  yourself,  Tamer  Ann  Allen,  and  teach  Jack  to  do 
it,  in  the  most  powerful  way,  the  way  of  example,  you 
hadn't  ort  to  whip  him.  For  that  is  one  theme  for 
which  I  have  labored  long  and  feel  deeply,  to  not  blame 
children  for  what  we  do  ourselves  and  teach  them  to 
do." 

"  Well,"  sez  Tamer,  foldin*  up  her  embroidery,  "  it 
is  time  to  put  the  teakettle  on."  And  she  went  out  and 
shot  the  door  middlin'  hard,  but  I  didn't  care  if  she  did, 
I  had  leaned  against  Duty  and  felt  considerable  calm  in 
my  frame. 

She  got  a  real  good  supper,  and  I  a-settin'  out  on  the 
porch  could  hear  her  walk  to  and  fro  settin'  the  table 
in  the  dining  room,  Arabeller  bein'  out  in  the  kitchen 
cookin'  sunthin'.  And  then  it  wuz  I  see  that  my  talk  to 
Tamer  hadn't  struck  in  as  I  wanted  it  to,  but  I  pacified 
myself  by  turnin'  my  thoughts  onto  the  needecessity 
of  watchin'  after  the  seed  is  sown,  and  not  be  discour- 
aged because  it  won't  spring  up  the  same  hour  you 
put  it  into  the  soil.  No,  I  felt  (some  of  the  time)  that 
Tamer's  nater  wuz  kinder  sandy  soil,  bein'  drained  by 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  145 

her  different  diseases,  and  beat  down  on  by  the  lurid 
glare  of  the  climate  she  dwelt  in  most  of  the  time, 
namely  them  foamin',  blood-curdlin'  novels  of  hern,  and 
I  ort  to  wait  in  patience,  and  as  the  Sam  sez  be  willin' 
to  sow  in  season  and  out  of  season,  hopin'  that  some  of 
it  would  spring  up  and  bear  good  fruit. 

Well,  the  reason  of  this  simely  wuz  the  eppisode  I 
witnessed  through  the  open  winder  between  Tamer  and 
poor  little  Jack.  She  wuz  learnin'  him  a  lesson  in 
Gography  every  day,  and  as  he  had  run  looser  on  ac- 
count of  company  bein'  there,  his  lesson  wuz  belated 
and  he  wuz  tired,  but  she  had  sent  him  after  his  little 
Gography  and  set  him  at  it  while  she  wuz  settin'  the 
table.  She  told  him  to  bound  Bolivia.  Jack  wuz  in  one 
of  his  wild  moods,  he  had  'em  sometimes,  restless,  ob- 
stropulous  moods,  jest  as  we  all  have.  Jack  wuz  stand- 
in'  up  on  two  chairs  in  front  of  his  Ma  some  like  the 
Colossial  Eoads,  I  have  heard  Thomas  J.  read  about. 

In  some  things  Hamen's  wife  is  real  lax,  laxer  than  I 
would  be.  I  should  have  made  Jack  stand  up  in  front 
of  me,  or  set.  But  she  didn't  mind,  so  he  stood  up  with 
his  feet  on  two  chairs  real  defiant  lookin'  and  uppish. 
And  he  spoke  out  loud  and  firm,  and  sez  he: 

"  I  don't  like  the  word,  Bolivia,  Boliver  is  a  good 
word,  I  will  bound  Boliver,"  and  he  stood  up  firmer 
than  ever  and  the  chairs  further  apart,  seemin'ly. 

Sez  Tamer,  "  Do  you  bound  Bolivia. " 

"  Boliver,"  sez  Jack,  "  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by " 

"  Bolivia!  "  sez  Hamen's  wife. 

"  Boliver!  "  sez  Jack  firmly;  "  I  like  the  word,  and 
Boliver  it  shall  be!  "  And  Tamer  of  course  couldn't 
stand  that,  and  so  she  had  to  whip  him  again,  but  I 


146  lSamantha  on  Children's  Rights 

hearn  him,  as  she  dragged  him  upstairs,  say  kinder  low, 
but  jest  so  she  could  hear  him,  "  Boliver." 

And  she  tusseled  more  than  half  an  hour  with  him, 
and  supper  wuz  belated,  and  she  come  down  hot  and 
wore  out  with  her  efforts  to  make  him  give  up,  and 
sez  she,  "  He  is  such  a  hard  child  to  manage,  I  can't 
make  him  give  up  and  say  things  right.  Now,  that  child 
knew  that  Boliver  wuzn't  the  right  word,  but  still  he 
wuz  bound  to  have  his  own  way  and  say  it  as  he  wanted 
to." 

Then  Duty  gin  me  a  real  hard  jog,  I  up  and  sez  to  her: 
"Children  are  great  cases  to  f oiler  example  and  do 
what  they  see  done." 

"  What  under  the  sun  do  you  mean?  "  sez  she  won- 
derin'ly. 

"Why,"  sez  I,  "this  very  mornin*  when  you  wuz 
bound  and  determined  to  call  little  Delight  Tirzah,  I 
told  you  that  wuzn't  her  name,  but  you  said  that  it  wuz 
a  good  name  and  you  should  call  her  so.  I  noticed  Jack 
eyin'  us  clost  as  if  it  wuz  a  new  and  agreeable  idee, 
that  folks  could  alter  names  if  they  wanted  to,  and," 
sez  I  firmly,  "  Delight's  name  is  no  more  Tirzah  than 
Bolivia  is  Boliver!  " 

"  Oh,  well,"  sez  Tamer,  "  that  is  of  no  consequence  at 
all.  What  I  do  and  what  Jack  can  do  is  two." 

"  Yes,"  sez  I  solemnly,  "  and  it  may  turn  out  to  be 
more  than  two  in  the  end." 

Sez  she  coldly,  "  I  don't  know  what  you  mean."  And 
to  tell  the  truth,  I  don't  really  know  as  I  knew  my- 
self, but  it  made  a  Kinder  good  endin'  to  our  talk.  But 
as  anybody  can  see  Jack  wuzn't  a  mite  to  blame  in  the 
Boliver  affair,  he  is  naturally  very  conscientious,  if  they 
only  knew  enough  to  appreciate  it,  he  always  wants  to 


'Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  147 

fix  things  jest  right  even  in  his  play.  I  remember  one 
time  when  I  wuz  stayin'  there  over  Sunday  he  gin  a 
remarkable  instance  of  it. 

Tamer  wuz  strict,  I  must  say,  about  not  lettin*  Jack 
play  games  on  Sunday,  and  he  wuz  good  about  mindin', 
but  I  spoze  he  hankered  after  playin'  sunthin'  when  the 
time  hung  too  heavy  on  his  hands,  and,  like  older  folks, 
he  wanted  a  change.  He  had  one  Bible  game  that 
Tamer  let  him  play,  but  I  spoze  he  had  got  tired  of  it, 
and  then  the  names  wuz  dretful  tegus  to  keep  the  run 
on— Nebuchadnezer,  Melchizedec,  Mephilboseth— good 
land!  they  wuz  hard  for  grown  folks  to  git  right. 
Hamen  and  his  brother,  John,  wuz  great  cases  to  play 
cards  evenin's,  and  Jack  had  a  game  that  he  played 
with  'em  some  like  authors.  I  had  played  it  myself  with 
him  sometimes  week-day  evenin's,  and  Jack  come  to  me 
that  Sunday  evenin'  and  sez:  "  Aunt  Samantha,  why 
can't  we  play  a  Bible  game  with  cards?  " 

And  I  sez,  "  I  don't  see  how  you  could  fix  it  so  as  to 
play  a  Bible  game  with  'em." 

And  he  sez,  "  Well,  you  can  call  the  two  spot  Jacob, 
and  I  can  call  for  it,  and  we  can  call  the  ten  spot  Paul, 
or  the  Jack,  and  you  can  call  for  him." 

And  I  sez,  "  I  would  hate  to  call  such  a  good  man  as 
Paul  the  Jack." 

"  Well,"  sez  he,  "  we  could  call  the  king  Paul,  and 
the  queen  Mary." 

But  I  talked  him  offen  the  idee,  it  didn't  seem  right 
to  me  somehow.  But  he  wuz  honest  and  likely  about  it 
and  didn't  mean  no  harm,  and  at  the  best  it  wuz  only 
tryin'  to  reconcile  science  and  religion,  or  religion  and 
fashion,  as  so  many  do,  holdin'  the  world  in  one  hand 
and  religion  in  the  other,  and  tryin'  to  carry  'em  both 


148  'Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

stiddy.  But  Hamen  and  John  laughed  like  two  big 
gump  heads  about  it,  and  the  next  evenin'  when  they 
wuz  playin'  they  would  call  the  two  spot  "  Jacob  " 
every  time,  and  look  at  Jack  and  laugh  till  I  felt  that 
it  wuz  enough  to  make  him  swing  right  out  and  play 
cards  Sunday,  and  not  try  to  reconcile  it  with  goodness 
and  religion.  But  Tamer,  when  she  found  out  about  it, 
whipped  him  severe,  she  said  it  wuz  irreverent  and  she 
wouldn't  have  it.  And  that  wuz  jest  the  way  it  wuz  the 
hull  durin'  time. 

Well,  we  didn't  stay  but  a  day  or  two  after  the  Bol- 
iver  affair.  Josiah  felt  that  he  must  be  to  home,  so 
we  went,  Tamer  promisin'  Jack,  who  cried  hard  when 
we  started,  that  he  might  come  down  and  stay  several 
days  with  us  in  a  week  or  so,  when  she  went  to  see  Aunt 
Mary  John  she  would  leave  him  there  and  then  stop  and 
git  him  on  her  way  home. 


CHAPTER  X 


ITTLE  Delight  burnt  up  the  world  a  week 
ago  last  Wednesday,  somewhere  along 
about  the  middle  of  the  forenoon. 

She  stayed  here  three  days  and  four 
nights,  while  her  Pa  and  Ma  went  to  North 
Scriba  to  his  folkses  on  a  visit.  Diphtheria  wuz  ragin' 
there  among  the  little  children,  and  we  none  of  us  wuz 
willin'  to  let  Delight  go.  And  they  thought  that  they 
must  go,  for  Barzilly  Minkley,  who  hadn't  been  in  this 
part  of  the  country  for  years  and  years,  had  come  home 
to  his  folkses  on  a  visit  (Barzilly  is  Whitfield's  own 
cousin  on  his  father's  side),  and  all  the  Minkleys  wuz 
invited  to  the  old  Minkley  homestead  to  visit  with  him. 
Whitfield  wanted  to  go,  but  didn't  want  to  unless 
Tirzah  Ann  went.  I  approved  of  their  goin',  and  told 
Tirzah  Ann  I  would  help  her  all  I  could.  I  helped  her 
make  a  new  cashmere  dress  and  a  blue  wool  travelin' 
dress,  and  told  her  she  could  wear  my  new  waterproof 
in  welcome,  hern  wuz  a  old  one.  And  I  told  her  I  would 
take  care  of  little  Delight  and  take  it  as  a  privelige. 
So  they  started  early  on  a  Tuesday  mornin',  and  we 
went  after  the  child  Monday  night,  so's  not  to  belate 
'em  on  their  journey.  And  it  wuz  on  the  Wednesday 
follerin'  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  that  she  burnt 
up  the  world. 


150  fiamantha  on  Children's  Rights 

She  wuz  dretful  willin'  to  come  home  with  us,  and  we 
wuz  dretful  willin'  she  should  come,  which  made  it 
willin'  all  round,  and  agreeable.  She  thinks  as  much  of 
Josiah  and  me  as  she  duz  of  her  Pa  and  Ma.  And  I 
made  her  a  bed  on  the  lounge  in  our  room,  and  it  did 
seem  good  to  have  her  there.  We  took  sights  of  com- 
fort. 

Her  little  appetite  wuz  excellent,  and  it  wuz  a  great 
comfort  to  me  to  cook  things  she  called  for.  I  can  tell 
you  it  brought  back  old  tinres  when  her  Ma  and  uncle, 
Thomas  J.,  wuz  little  children,  every  time  I  baked  turn- 
overs for  her.  And  when  I  fried  cakee  it  did  seem  so 
good  to  fry  men  and  wimmen  and  children  and  every 
livin'  animal  I  could  think  on  for  her.  And  it  seemed 
as  if  I  couldn't  hardly  satisfy  her  on  the  animals.  I 
do  believe  I  fried  every  critter  I  ever  hearn  on,  unless 
it  wuz  a  hyena,  and  it  kinder  seems  as  if  I  fried  one  of 
them  one  day,  but  I  won't  say  for  certain,  maybe  it  wuz 
a  catamount,  they  look  some  alike,  anyway. 

But  we  did  enjoy  havin'  her  there  the  best  that  ever 
wuz.  When  she  got  up  in  the  mornin'  and  come  to  us 
with  her  great  bright  eyes  dancin',  and  the  mornin' 
light  shinin'  on  her  wavin'  hair,  it  almost  seemed  as  if 
it  wuz  our  lost  youth  comin'  back  towards  us  with  im- 
mortal hope  and  gladness  in  its  glances.  We  loved  her 
so,  she  wuz  so  much  a  part  of  our  own  hearts  and  lives 
that  it  seemed  as  if  our  love  for  her  and  our  tender  pride 
and  happiness  in  her,  carried  us  back  into  the  Long 
Ago.  And  we  could  almost  fancy  she  wuz  one  of  our 
youthful  dreams  gin  back  to  us  and  made  real. 

Oh,  we  took  sights  and  sights  of  comfort  with  her, 
I  don't  think  we  love  her  any  better  than  we  did  her 
Ma  and  Uncle,  Thomas  J.,  I  know  we  don't,  and  I  don't 


Samanttia  on  Children's  Eights  3.51 

think  the  neighbors  are  doin*  right  wKen  tfiey  say  we 
do.  And  I  think  it  is  very  unkind  and  unreasonable  of 
'em  to  say  that  we  humor  her  to  death  and  make  a  per- 
fect fool  of  her.  It  is  not  so. 

But  we  have  more  time  to  spend  with  her  than  we  did 
with  our  children  when  they  wuz  little.  Then  we  had 
to  work  hard  to  git  along  and  pay  for  the  place.  And 
Josiah  didn't  have  no  time  to  take  Tirzah  Ann  or 
Thomas  J.  onto  the  plough  handle  in  front  of  him  and 
let  'em  ride  round  the  field  with  him,  and  etcetery.  And 
I  didn't  have  time  to  stop  sweepin'  and  washin'  dishes 
and  let  'em  play  they  wuz  washin'  dishes  and  sweepin', 
and  so  forth  and  so  on. 

And  we  didn't  have  time,  Josiah  and  me,  to  let  'em 
take  holt  of  our  hands,  one  of  us  on  each  side  of  'em, 
like  the  Babes  in  the  Woods,  and  lead  us  all  over  jest 
where  they  wuz  a  mind  to— into  the  woodshed  and  all 
over  the  dooryard,  and  the  barn.  But  now  when  De- 
light is  here  we  are  jest  the  Babes,  Josiah  and  me,  to  be 
led  off  anywhere  she  wants  to  lead  us. 

For  things  are  different  now.  The  farm  is  paid  for, 
the  children  are  brung  up,  and  well  brung  up  (every- 
body admits  that).  And  if  little  Delight  wants  to  lead 
round  her  Grandpa  and  me  she  is  goin'  to  lead  us,  and 
there  hain't  nobody  goin'  to  break  it  up.  Good  land! 
we  enjoy  it  as  much  as  she  duz.  And  if  she  should  take 
it  into  her  little  head  to  lead  us  off  into  the  woods  and 
cover  us  up  with  leaves,  it  wouldn't  be  any  of  the  neigh- 
bor's bizness,  if  Josiah  and  me  wuz  willin'  to  be  led 
and  covered,  as  we  most  probable  should  be. 

I  think  it  is  very  unkind  of  the  neighbors  to  say  we 
let  her  have  her  own  way  all  of  the  time,  and  don't 
correct  her  at  all.  It  is  not  anyways  likely  it  is  so,  but 


152  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

spozen  it  wuz,  if  her  way  wuz  the  right  way  why  not 
let  her  have  it? 

It's  very  seldom  that  she  duz  a  thing  that  is  the 
least  mite  out  of  the  way.  I  don't  know  that  I  could 
exactly  approve  of  her  burnin'  up  the  world— that  might 
not  been  exactly  the  fair  thing  to  do,  but  it  is  very,  very 
seldom  she  duz  a  thing  a  minister  would  be  ashamed  of 
doing.  She  is  a  oncommon  child  for  goodness.  I  don't 
say  it  because  she  is  my  grandchild,  not  at  all.  But  truth 
will  out.  She  has  a  remarkable  sweet,  even  disposition, 
and  as  to  morals— well!  I  would  like  to  see  the  child 
that  would  go  ahead  of  her  in  morals.  Why,  we 
couldn't  tempt  her  to  touch  a  penny  that  didn't  belong 
to  her.  And  burglary,  or  arson,  or  rapine,  why,  nothin' 
would  tempt  her  into  it.  She  is  a  wonderful  child. 

And  she  is  jest  as  truthful  as  the  day  is  long,  that 
is,  what  she  calls  truth.  Everything  is  new  to  her  and 
strange.  The  thoughts  in  her  little  brain  jest  wakin' 
up,  and  to  a  imaginative  child  the  dreams  and  fancies 
that  fill  her  little  mind,  the  child's  world  within,  must 
seem  as  strange  as  the  new  strange  things  of  the  world 
about  her. 

It  is  all  a  untried  mystery  to  her,  and  it  stands  to  rea- 
son that  she  can't  separate  things  all  to  once  and  put 
the  right  names  to  'em  all.  The  gay  romances  of  the 
child's  fairy  world  within  from  the  colder  reasonin' 
of  the  world  without.  The  child's  world  is  purer  than 
ourn,  it  is  the  only  land  of  innocence  and  truth  we  know 
in  this  dreary  life.  And  it  seems  as  if  we  would  let  our 
souls  listen  to  catch  any  whispers  from  that  land,  so 
sweet,  so  evanescent. 

F,or  there  is  the  only  perfect  faith,  unbounded,  un- 
calculating,  so  soon  to  be  displaced  by  doubt.  The  only 


fiamantha  on  Children's  Rights  153 

perfect  innocence,  the  blessed  ignorance  of  wrong,  so 
soon,  so  surely  to  be  stained  by  the  knowledge  of  sin. 
The  divine  faith  in  other's  goodness  so  soon  to  be 
dimmed  by  distrust.  The  gay,  onthinkin'  happiness,  so 
soon  to  be  darkened  by  sorrow  and  anxiety— the  rosy 
hopes  so  soon  to  fade  away  to  the  gray  ashes  of  disap- 
pointment. Fair  land  I  sunny  time!  so  bright,  so  fleetin' 
—it  seems  as  if  we  should  treat  its  broken  language,  its 
strange  fancies  tenderly  and  reverently,  rememberin' 
the  lost  time  when  we,  too,  were  wandering  in  its  en- 
chanted gardens.  Rememberin'  that  the  gate  of  death 
must  swing  back  before  we  can  again  enter  a  world  of 
such  purity,  such  beauty. 

But  we  do  not,  we  meet  its  pure  and  sweet  unwisdom 
with  our  grim,  rebukin'  knowledge  which  we  gained  as 
Eve  did,  its  innocent,  guileless  ways  with  the  intoler- 
ance of  our  dry  old  customs,  its  broken  fancies,  its  sweet 
romancin'  with  cold  derision  or  the  cruelty  of  punish- 
ment. It  makes  me  fairly  out  of  patience  to  think  on't. 

It  stand  to  reason,  when  everything  under  the  sun  is 
new  and  strange  to  'em,  they  can't  git  all  to  once  the 
meanin'  of  every  big  word  in  the  Dictionary,  and  mebby 
they  will  git  things  a  little  mixed  sometimes.  But  how 
can  they  help  it?  Why,  what  if  we  should  be  dropped 
right  down  into  a  strange  country  where  we  had  never 
sot  our  feet  before  and  told  to  walk  straight,  and  wuz 
punished  every  time  we  meandered,  when  we  didn't 
know  a  step  before  us,  or  on  each  side  on  us,  how  could 
we  help  meanderin'  a  little,  how  could  we  help  some- 
times talkin'  about  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  we  wuz 
accustomed  to,  usin'  its  language? 

What  we  would  need  would  be  to  be  sot  in  the  right 
way  agin,  with  patience,  and  over  and  over  agin,  and 


154  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

* 

time  and  time  agin.  Patience  and  long  sufferin'  and  rea- 
son is  what  we  should  need,  and  not  punishment,  and  that 
is  what  children  need. 

Many  a  child  is  skairt  and  whipped  into  bein*  a  hip- 
pocrite  and  liar,  when,  if  they  had  been  encouraged  to 
tell  the  truth— own  up  their  little  faults  and  meanderin's 
—and  treated  justly,  patiently,  and  kindly,  they  would 
have  been  as  truthful  and  transparent  as  rain  water.  Chil- 
dren have  sharp  eyes  and  are  quick  to  see  injustice,  and 
things  sink  deep  into  their  little  souls.  They  are  whipped 
if  they  don't  tell  the  truth,  skaired  dark  nights  with  the 
lurid  passage— "  Liars  shall  have  their  portion  in  the 
lake  of  fire  and  brimstone.'* 

And  then  they  see  their  mother  smile  into  some  dis- 
agreeable visitor's  face  and  groan  at  her  back.  How 
can  the  baby  wisdom  part  the  smile  from  the  groan,  and 
find  truth  under  'em?  How  can  we?  They  are  taught 
under  fear  of  severest  punishment  to  be  honest—"  Thou 
shalt  not  steal."  And  then,  with  their  earliest  knowl- 
edge, they  hear  their  mother  boast  of  some  advantage 
she  has  gained  over  the  shopkeeper,  and  their  father  con- 
gratulating himself  on  how  he  got  the  better  of  his  neigh- 
bor in  a  horse  trade.  And  if  she  be  the  child  of  a  busi- 
ness man,  happy  for  her  if  she  does  not  wonder  at  that 
'  sight  strange  to  men  and  gods,  to  see  her  father  lose  all 
his  wealth  one  day,  to  rise  up  rich  the  next,  rise  up 
from  a  crowd  of  poor  men  and  wimmen  he  has  cheated 
and  ruined. 

She  is  taught  that  deceit  is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord. 
And  then  she  stands  with  her  little  eyes  on  a  level  with 
the  washstand,  and  sees  her  big  sister  paint  and  powder 
her  face,  darken  her  eyebrows,  and  pad  her  lean  form 
into  roundness.  She  is  taught  the  exceeding  sinfulness 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  155 

of  envy,  strife,  and  emulation.  And  then,  in  the  same 
breath,  urged  to  commit  to  memory  more  Bible  verses 
than  little  Molly  Smith  has  learned,  and  consulted  about 
the  number  of  ruffles  on  her  dress  with  the  firm  resolve 
to  have  one  more  than  she  has,  so  as  to  be  cleverer  and 
look  dressier  than  she  duz. 

She  is  taught  that  God  loves  good  children,  and  to  flee 
from  evil  communications,  and  then  counseled  to  never 
by  any  means  associate  with  the  washerwoman's  little 
girl,  who  is  very  good,  but  to  play  with  the  banker's  lit- 
tle boy,  who  is  very  bad. 

She  is  taught  by  precept  to  be  studious,  industrious, 
and  that  Heaven  smiles  on  contented  labor,  and  industry 
and  independence  are  honorable  and  to  be  desired,  she 
hears  her  mother  say  solemnly,  "  Wealth  is  a  snare." 
And  then  she  sees  that  mother  bow  low  at  the  feet  of  the 
rich,  stupid,  idle  wife  of  the  millionaire,  lose  all  her  dig- 
nity and  self-respect  in  the  wild  effort  to  become  her 
friend,  sees  her  refuse  to  recognize  in  public  the  tonest, 
intelligent  sewing  girl. 

She  is  taught  that  if  she  duz  not  learn  the  catechism 
and  follow  its  teachings,  she  is  lost  indeed,  and  she  learns 
from  that  that  the  chief  end  of  man  (and  presumably 
wimmen)  is  to  fear  God  and  enjoy  Him  forever.  And 
then  taught  by  the  louder  teaching  of  maternal  anxiety 
and  counsel  that  the  chief  end  of  wimmen  is  to  be  mar- 
ried, to  get  an  establishment  and  a  rich  husband  to  sup- 
port her.  How  is  the  child  to  learn  good  from  evil?  God 
help  the  dear  little  souls!  and  if  they  keep  one  iota  of  the 
sweet,  oncalculatin'  trust,  the  divine  innocence  of  child- 
hood, it  is  by  the  direct  grace  of  God,  and  no  thanks  to 
the  poor  worldlings  and  sinners  by  whom  they  are  sur- 
rounded. 


156  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

Amongst  the  marvelous  wonders  of  God's  universe  to 
me  one  of  the  greatest  mysteries  is  this,  how  a  good  God, 
a  just,  pitiful  God,  should  send  into  such  hands  as  He 
duz  such  little  white  souls. 

Some  frivolous  young  girl,  whose  highest  thought  and 
ambition  has  never  soared  above  her  hair  ribbon,  some 
brainless  boy,  whose  deepest  desire  and  highest  aim  has 
been  to  wear  as  small  a  boot  as  he  could,  and  contract 
hopeless  debts  for  hair  oil  and  cheap  cigars  and  whiskey. 
In  some  unhappy  season,  when  circuses  were  not  possible, 
and  wishing  for  a  kindred  excitement,  they  rush  into 
matrimony.  And  into  these  hands,  joined  by  lowest 
links,  these  hands  denied  by  sin,  and  weak  with  the  utter 
weakness  of  unreasonin'  selfishness  and  folly,  is  sent  a 
little  pure  soul  out  of  Paradise. 

And  this  little  child  must  grope  in  the  dark  shadows 
caused  by  the  denseness  of  their  ignorance.  Suffer 
forever  physically,  morally,  mentally  from  the  evil,  the 
total  depravity  of  their  hereditary  and  teachings.  Suffer 
herself  and  grow  up  in  the  black  shadow  to  transmit  its 
hopeless  darkness  and  guilt  down  to  other  generations. 
Strange,  strange,  most  marvelous  of  mysteries,  why  this 
should  be  so.  But  I  can't  bear  to  even  look  on  this  dret- 
ful  picture  even  in  hours  of  eppisodin',  it  is  bad  enough 
and  strange  enough  to  look  in  Christian  homes,  amongst 
meetin'  house  brothers  and  sisters,  and  see  how  the  little 
ones  are  maltreated. 

It  looks  dretful  disagreeable  to  me,  to  see  a  young 
child  whipped  for  what  we  do  ourselves.  Now,  I  wuz 
at  one  of  our  neighbors'  the  other  day  (one  of  them  that 
complains  the  most  of  our  treatment  of  little  Delight), 
and  she  has  got  a  young  child  of  her  own,  some  four, 
or  half -past  four  years  of  age.  And  when  I  went  in  she 


SHE    WUZ    WH1PPIN'    LITTLE    KATE,  HER   FACE   ALL   SWELLED    UP   WITH    WHAT 
SHE   CALLED    RELIGIOUS    PRINCIPLE. 

Page  157. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  157 

wuz  whippin*  little  Kate  with  a  stick,  her  face  all  swelled 
up  with  what  she  called  religious  principle  (I  called  it 
anger),  but,  howsumever,  it  hain't  no  matter  what  the 
name  on't  wuz,  her  face  wuz  all  red  and  inflamed.  And 
she,  weighin'  from  two  to  three  hundred  pounds,  wuz 
standin'  over  that  little  mite  of  humanity,  that  she  her- 
self brought  into  the  world,  for  better  or  worse,  stood 
over  it,  grippin'  with  one  hard,  red  hand  the  little  tender 
arm,  leavin'  great  red  marks  with  her  voyalence,  and 
layin'  on  the  stick  -with  the  other,  for  she  said  she  had 
lied. 

11  And  lyinV'  sez  she,  with  her  face  redder  than  ever 
with  what  she  called  principle  (and  I  called  madness  and 
revenge),  "  is  sunthin'  I  won't  have  goin'  on  in  this 
house!  " 

Sez  I  calmly,  for  I  see  it  wuzn't  my  place  to  inter- 
fere, "  What  has  she  been  lyin'  about?  "  And  she  said 
she  had  told  her  to  not  stay  but  a  hour  to  Miss  Bob- 
bettses  playin'  with  her  little  girl,  and  she  had  stayed 
two,  had  lied  about  it.  She  had  promised  to  come  back 
in  a  hour  and  didn't.  "  She  said  she  forgot  all  about  the 
time,  till  the  two  hours  wuz  up,  and  I  know  she  didn't 
forgit!  " 

Sez  I,  "  How  do  you  know  she  didn't  forgit  I  " 
"  Why,"  sez  she,  *"  how  could  she  forgit  when  there 
wuz  a  clock  right  in  the  room?    She  didn't  come  back 
because  she  wanted  to  stay,  and  she  must  own  it  up  to 
me!" 

"  But,"  sez  I  calmly,  "  if  the  child  did  forgit  you  are 
whippin'  her  into  lyin'  instead  of  out  of  it."  I  didn't 
say  no  more,  for  I  never  interfere,  and  she  took  her  out 
into  the  back  room  and  finished  up  there,  and  I  heard 


158  SamantKa  on  Children's  Rights 

Kate  own  up  that  she  had  stayed  three  hours  and  meant 
to,  and  wuz  sorry.  : 

And  then  her  mother  had  to  whip  her  agin  because 
she  had  owned  up  too  much;  finally  she  got  her  to  own 
jest  enough,  and  then  Miss  Gowdey  come  back  into  the 
room  triumphant  and  happy  and  give  the  child  a  big 
piece  of  cake  and  jell.  She  said  she  always  give  the  child 
sunthin'  nice  when  she  owned  up  to  tellin'  a  story.  And 
so  she  felt  real  good  natered  to  think  she  had  come  off 
conqueror.  And  we  had  a  good  visit. 

My  bizness  there  wuz  to  ask  her  in  a  friendly  way  if 
she  didn't  want  to  run  in  with  me  to  see  Miss  Patten. 
Miss  Patten  had  got  a  young  child,  and  we  hadn't  either 
on  us  seen  it.  And  she  said  in  a  agreeable  way  that  she 
would,  and  she  told  her  husband  when  we  went  out 
she  shouldn't  be  gone  only  "  jest  an  hour,"  and  told 
him  to  hang  on  the  teakettle  at  five,  and  she  would  be 
there  to  help  set  the  table.  And  she  told  little  Kate  to 
look  at  the  clock,  and  when  the  pinter  stood  at  jest  five 
her  Ma  would  certain  sure  be  there.  Well,  Miss  Patten 
wuz  dretful  agreeable,  and  so  wuz  Sam,  that  is  her  hus- 
band, and  so  wuz  old  Miss  Patten,  who  wuz  there  takin' 
care  of  Susan.  And  nothin'  to  do  but  we  had  got  to  take 
our  things  off  and  stay  to  supper.  We  hung  back,  for 
we  had  told  our  companions  we  would  be  home  to  git 
supper  in  good  season. 

Sez  I,  "  I  don't  like  to  disappoint  Josiah." 

"  And  I  can't  disappoint  my  folks,"  sez  Miss  Gowdey. 

"  Oh,  well,"  sez  old  Miss  Patten,  "  if  they  go  through 
the  world  without  meetin'  a  worse  disappointment  than 
that,  I  guess  they'll  git  along.  IThey  can  eat  their  sup- 
pers a  little  later." 

"  Oh,"  sez  I,  "  there  is  everything  cooked  in  the 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  159 

house,  all  Josiah  would  have  to  do  would  be  to  make  a 
cup  of  tea." 

And  sez  Miss  Gowdey,  "  I  have  got  everything  all 
ready  for  supper,  and  Mr.  Gowdey  can  make  a  better  cup 
of  tea  any  day  than  I  can,  he  puts  it  in  by  the  handful, 
he  never  uses  a  teaspoon." 

"  Then  do  stay!  "  sez  Susan. 

And  sez  old  Miss  Patten,  comin'  in  from  the  kitchen 
(Nabby  wuz  sick  in  the  settin'  room  bedroom),  "  you 
needn't  say  another  word,  the  table  is  all  sot  for  you. 
We  have  got  stewed  oysters  and  warm  biscuits  and 
honey,  and  you  have  got  to  stay." 

And  she  took  our  bunnets  right  off  and  galanted  us 
into  the  dinin'  room,  and  we  did  have  a  splendid  supper. 
And  there  it  wuz— we  two  wimmen,  both  on  us  weighin* 
most  two  hundred,  and  with  half  a  century's  experience 
—there  we  wuz  doin'  jest  what  Miss  Gowdey  had  whipped 
little  Kate  for.  That  delicate  creeter  with  her  little  mite 
of  judgment  and  her  easiness  to  be  led  astray,  and  not 
weighin'  over  forty  pounds.  Well,  the  supper  sort  o* 
took  up  our  minds,  and  we  set  at  the  table  a  good  long 
while.  And  we  didn't  want  to  start  off  the  minute  we 
got  through  eatin'.  But  I  did  feel  strange  in  my  mind 
thinkin'  it  over,  and,  though  they  wuz  dretful  agreeable, 
I  sot  round  in  my  chair  and  looked  at  the  clock,  and  Miss 
Gowdey  turned  round  and  looked,  and  sez  she: 

"  Good  land!  if  it  hain't  eight  o'clock.  What  will  our 
folks  say?  " 

And  sez  I,  "  What  will  Josiah  say?  "  And  we 
started  home  a  pretty  good  jog.  And  Miss  Gowdey  sez, 
when  we  had  got  most  to  her  house: 

"  For  the  land's  sake!  if  we  hain't  stayed  away  three 
hours." 


160  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

And  sez  I  in  a  cursory  way,  for  I  will  not  hint  or  med- 
dle, "  You  whipped  little  Kate  for  staying  one  hour  be- 
yend  her  time,  and  we  have  stayed  three." 

"  Well,"  sez  she,  "  I  told  her  to  be  home  in  an  hour." 

"  That  is  jest  what  she  told  you  to  do,"  sez  I. 

"  And,"  sez  she,  "  she  promised." 

"  So  did  you  promise  sacred." 

Sez  she,  "  A  child  is  under  greater  obligations  to  her 
parents  than  the  parents  are  to  her." 

"  I  think  they  hain't  under  half  so  much  obligations, 
for  it  is  the  parents  doin's  gittin'  'em  here,  the  children 
didn't  git  the  parents  here,  it  is  right  the  other  way." 

"  Oh,  well,  it  is  different,  anyway.  Kate  is  a  child, 
and  we  are  grown  folks." 

"  So  much  more  the  reason  for  us  that  we  should  be- 
have ourselves  and  not  go  to  lyin'  and  bein'  led  off  into 
temptation  as  we  have  to-night,  Sister  Gowdey.  We  are 
both  Methodists." 

The  words  sunk  deep,  I  see  they  did,  though  she  only 
sez: 

"  I  do  hope  Mr.  Gowdey  hain't  got  supper,  a  man 
tears  up  things  so  and  wastes.  I  would  as  soon  have  a 
tornado  sweep  through  my  buttery  as  to  have  a  man 
sweep  through  it." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

ELL,  the  next  mornin'  Josiah  come  upstairs 
where  I  wuz  makin'  up  the  spare  bed,  I  had 
had  it  open  airin'  it,  and  sez  he,  comin' 
into  the  room  excited  and  agitated: 

"  Samantha,  Delight  has  burnt  up  the 
world!  " 

I  had  heard  her  cryin'  down  below,  but  knew  she  wuz 
with  him,  so  didn't  worry  about  her,  and  the  next  thing 
I  knew,  entirely  onexpected,  he  told  me  what  had  took 
place.    The  Babe  had  burnt  up  the  world.    It  wuz  thrill- 
in'  and  agitatin'  news,  very.    But  I  didn't  git  excited 
and  skairt  as  some  wimmen  would,  I  only  sez  coolly: 

"  When  did  she  burn  it  up,  Josiah?  " 

"  Since  you  have  been  up  here." 

Sez  I  calmly,  wantin'  to  come  to  the  bottom  of  the 
matter.  "  Did  you  see  her,  Josiah  Allen?  Did  you  see 
Delight  burn  up  the  world?  " 

II  Yes,  I  see  her.    I  ketched  her  at  it.    How  should  I 
know,"  sez  he,  in  a  surly  tone,  "  that  she  had  burnt  it 
up,  if  I  hadn't  seen  her  do  it?  " 

"  Oh,"  sez  I,  "  I  didn't  know  but  you  missed  the 
world,  and  mistrusted  she  had  burnt  it  up." 
"  No,  I  see  her  at  it,  I  see  her  burn  it  up." 
Sez  I  calmly,  bein'  determined  to  find  out  the  truth, 
"  How  come  she  to  burn  up  the  world?  " 

"  She  did  it  to  be  mean  and  ort  to  be  spanked  for  it." 
Sez  I  firmly,  "  I  don't  believe  she  did  it  to  be  mean. 
I  believe  if  she  did  it  she  did  by  axident." 


162  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

11  She  didn't  do  it  by  axident,  she  done  it  a  purpose, 
and  her  burnin'  up  the  world  wuzn't  the  worst  of  it,  she 
wuz  sassy  about  it,  and  ort  to  be  spanked  for  sass."  I 
gin  him  a  stern  look  and  kind  o'  shot  up  my  lips  clost 
together  and  tossted  my  head  a  very  little,  but  didn't  say 
a  word.  But  he  resented  it  for  all  the  world  as  if  I  had 
spoke,  and  there  I  hadn't  said  a  word. 

"  Well,  I  say  she  had!  she  ort  to  be  spanked  for 
burnin'  up  the  world,  and  she  ort  to  be  spanked  for  sass. 
But  you  can  uphold  her  if  you  want  to." 

"  I  hain't  said  a  word  of  upholdin'." 

"  Well,  you  encourage  her  in  it,  and  you  know  you 
do." 

"  Encourage  her!  Josiah  Allen!  " 

"  Yes,  you  uphold  her  in  burnin'  up  the  world,  and 
you  uphold  her  in  sass." 

"  Have  I  said  a  word,  Josiah  Allen?  " 

"  You  tossted  your  head,  you  know  you  did." 

11  Well,"  sez  I  mildly,  "  things  have  got  to  a  strange 
pass  if  pardners  can't  crook  their  necks  a  little  when 
they  are  makin'  up  spare  beds.  And,"  sez  I  in  still  more 
gentle  axents,  as  I  patted  the  mattress  and  spread  a  light- 
colored  comfortable  over  it,  under  the  sheets,  "  tell  me 
all  about  it,  Josiah." 

"  Well,  I  stepped  out  into  the  back  kitchen  to  look 
for  a  file,  and  when  I  come  back  she  wuz  jest  burnin' 
up  the  world,  jest  puttin'  it  into  the  stove." 

"  She  see  me  start  the  fire  with  an  old  World  yester- 
day mornin',  and  she  thought  she  wuz  follerin'  her 
Grandma's  doin's  and  doin'  right." 

"  Uphold  her  if  you  want  to!  and  uphold  her  for 
sass!  " 

"  What  wuz  the  sass?  "  sez  I  mildly. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  163 

"  Well,  I  snapped  her  little  fingers  for  puttin'  the 
paper  into  the  fire,  and  she  cried,  and  drawed  'em  back 
sudden,  and  I  wuz  so  afraid  she  would  burn  her  that 
I  put  my  hand  sudden  between  her  and  the  fire  and  jest 
jammed  my  hand  through  the  isinglass  in  the  stove  and 
broke  it  all  to  smash  and  she  stopped  cryin'  and  sez,  '  I 
am  glad  Gappa  broke  the  issac  glass.'  " 

I  laughed  a  little,  a  very  little,  and  couldn't  help  it. 
She  always  will  call  it  "  issac  glass,"  and  if  I  try  to 
make  her  say  micas  she  will  call  it ' '  michols, ' '  she  is  so 
cunning  and  cute.  He  didn't  like  my  laughin',  I  see  he 
didn't. 

Sez  he,  "I'd  laugh  if  I  wuz  in  your  place,  sunthin* 
ort  to  be  done  with  her.  I  couldn't  git  her  to  say  she 
wuz  sorry,  do  the  best  I  could.  She  will  have  to  be 
punished." 

"  Punished  for  what?  "  sez  I,  as  I  shook  up  a  piller 
and  put  a  clean  piller  bier  on  it. 

"  Why,  to  make  her  say  she  is  sorry." 

Sez  I,  as  I  laid  the  shams  on  smooth  and  pinned  'em 
up  agin  the  head  board,  "  Mebby  she  hain't  sorry." 

"  Hain't  sorry!  "  sez  he,  savage-like,  "  well,  she  ort 
to  be,  there  I  ain't  hardly  looked  at  it,  and  there  is  lots 
of  news  in  it  I  know.  As  many  as  seven  or  eight  mur- 
ders, most  probable,  and  some  suicides,  and  hangin's 
and  such  like,  she  ort  to  be  sorry,  and  she  has  got  to  say 
she  is." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  a-smoothin'  the  things  out  on  the  toilet 
table,  "  I  don't  think  she  ort  to  be  made  to  say  she  is 
sorry  if  she  hain't  sorry.  I  believe  lots  of  liars  are  made 
in  jest  that  way;  probable  she  told  you  the  truth  when 
she  said  she  wuzn't  sorry,  and  you  want  to  make  her  lie," 
gez  I  dryly,  "  and  whip  her  if  she  won't.  She  see  me 


164  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

put  a  whole  paper  into  the  stove  this  mornin',  and  how 
could  she  tell  the  difference  between  this  week's  paper 
and  last?  If  anybody  is  to  blame  we  are,  we  ort  to  told 
her  to  not  touch  the  papers,  and  we  must  tell  her  to  not 
touch  the  fire.  And  if  I  wuz  goin'  to  punish  her  for  any- 
thing it  would  be  for  meddlin'  with  the  stove.  .  I 
shouldn't  whip  her  for  tellin'  the  truth,  that  wouldn't 
be  my  way." 

"  Well,  she  ort  to  be  punished  for  sass." 

"  I  don't  believe  she  meant  it  for  sass,"  sez  I,  "  I 
wouldn't  interfere  if  you  wuz  correctin'  her.  But  I  do 
not  think  she  meant  it  for  sass." 

"  What  did  she  mean  it  for,  then?  " 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  "  I  believe  she  said  she  wuz  glad  be- 
cause she  wuz  glad." 

"  Well,  she  hadn't  no  bizness  to  said  it,  anyway,  it 
didn't  sound  very  good." 

Sez  I,  "  Josiah  Allen,  didn't  you  ever  speak  out  when 
you  had  hurt  you  and  wuz  in  pain,  and  say  things  that 
didn't  sound  good,  and  that  you  would  like  to  take  back 
if  you  could?  " 

"  No,"  sez  he,  "  I  never  did." 

"  Josiah  Allen,"  sez  I,  "  can  you  say  that  with  a 
clear  conscience?  " 

"  Yes,  I  can,  clear  as  a  crystal  fountain.  I  hain't  one 
of  the  kind  that  fly  all  to  pieces  if  I  happen  to  bruise 
my  thumb,  or  cut  me,  or  pound  my  fingers,  some  men 
do,"  he  admitted,  "  but  I  don't,  I  never  say  a  word  I 
don't  mean,  I  never  say  a  word  I  would  wish  to  take 
back,  no  matter  how  severe  the  pain  is." 

Sez  I  firmly,  ' '  Josiah  Allen  you  do,  you  prance  round 
and  act  lots  of  times." 

11  Oh,  well,  encourage  her  in  burnin'  up  the  world  if 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  165 

you  want  to,  and  encourage  her  in  sass.  I  spoze  I  can  let 
it  go."  He  wuz  fairly  dyin'  to  let  it  go,  I  knew,  he  jest 
worships  her.  But  I  continued,  for  I  wuz  rousted  up  in 
my  mind.  Sez  I: 

"  Little  Delight  is  in  our  power,  we  are  physically 
stronger  than  she  is.  We  can  whip  her  all  day  if  we 
want  to.  But  duz  it  look  noble  and  honorable  in  us  to 
punish  that  little  mite  of  a  thing  for  what  we  do  our- 
selves? " 

"  I  don't  do  it,"  sez  he. 

Sez  I, ' '  She  is  only  three  years  old,  she  has  got  every- 
thing to  learn,  she  can't  endure  pain  as  she  can  when  she 
is  older.  She  didn't  know  she  had  done  wrong,  and  you, 
instead  of  reasonin'  with  her,  and  settin'  her  right,  skairt 
her,  and  hurt  her  hands,  and  she  wuz  actually  glad  I've 
no  doubt  to  think  that  you  broke  the  stove.  She  thought 
you  wuz  unjust,  and  wuz  indignant  at  that,  and  sur- 
prised and  frightened  to  think  you  wanted  to  hurt  her, 
you  who  had  always  been  so  good  to  her,  and  loved  her 
so  well,  and  she  spoke  out  quick  and  impatient,  jest  as 
you  and  I  do  sometimes,  Josiah  Allen,  and  we  have  had 
a  lifetime  to  learn  patience  and  endurance." 

I  see  he  wuz  some  convinced,  but  wouldn't  own  it,  and 
he  sez  agin,  in  a  cross  tone  (about  as  cross  as  a  cross 
gut  saw,  his  tone  had  been  like  a  bayinet  or  spear),  sez 
he,  "  She  no  need  to  burnt  up  the  world." 

Sez  I  over  agin,  "  She  hadn't  no  idee  what  she  wuz 
doing,  she  thought  she  wuz  follerin'  her  Grandma's 
doin's  and  doin'  right.  But  because  it  hurt  your  own 
comfort  a  little  mite " 

"  A  little  mite!  "  sez  he,  groanin',  "  and  there  it  wuz 
full  of  tragedies,  I  dare  presume  to  say,  and  salts  and 
butteries,  and  burglaries." 


166  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

11  Because  she  did  sunthin*  that  interfered  with  your 
comfort  when  she  hadn't  the  least  idee  of  its  bein'  wrong 
you  pounced  at  her  and  hurt  her,  and  want  her  whipped. 
And  the  other  day,  Josiah  Allen,  when  she  did  do  a  lit- 
tle sunthin'  we  had  told  her  not  to,  because  she  did  it 
in  such  a  cunnin'  way,  you  laughed,  and  wuz  mad  be- 
cause I  spoke  of  punishin'  her  for  it." 

"  Well,  I  spoze  you  want  me  to  say  that  I  think  it  is 
right  for  her  to  burn  up  the  world,  but  you  won't  git 
me  to."  But  his  axent  wuz  gittin'  smoother,  it  wuz 
about  as  smooth  as  a  gimlet  hole  now. 

Sez  I,  "  I  believe  in  punishin'  children  when  they  per- 
sist in  wrongdoin'.  But  I  always  believe  in  findin'  out 
whether  they  have  done  wrong  or  not,  and  then  in  the 
next  place  try  to  punish  'em,  not  for  revenge  and  to  sat- 
isfy our  own  feelin's,  but  to  do  them  good,  break  'em  of 
wrongdoin'.  And  if  you  can  talk  them  out  of  it  it  seems 
so  much  more  noble  and  dignified  than  it  duz  to  pound 
'em.  It  duz  somehow  look  so  disagreeable  to  see  a  great 
strong  man  or  woman  weighin'  two  hundred  or  so  stand- 
in'  over  a  little  mite  of  a  thing  that  can't  help  itself  any- 
way, whippin'  it." 

"  Solomon  sez,"  sea  Josiah,  "  spare  the  rod  and  spile 
the  child." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  if  I  wuz  in  Solomon's- place " 

And  then  thinkses  I  the  least  said  the  soonest  mended, 
and  I  thought  I  wouldn't  say  anything  agin  Solomon  and 
his  havin*  so  many  wives,  and  actin',  and  shet  my  lips 
up  tight. 

"  Solomon  what?  "  sez  Josiah. 

"  Nothin',"  sez  I. 

And  again  he  sez,  "  What?    Solomon  what?  " 

And  again  I  sez,  "  Nothin',  Solomon  nothin'."    And 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  167 

havin'  got  all  through  upstairs,  I  went  down  and  went  to 
sweepin'  out  the  parlor,  and  jest  as  quick  as  I  got  that 
done,  I  went  to  gittin'  dinner  (at  Josiah's  request,  who 
said  he  hadn't  eat  much  breakfast,  though  I  didn't  know 
it  and  told  him  so).  But  he  built  a  fire  in  the  kitchen  for 
that  purpose,  and  I  got  an  excellent  dinner,  nice  tender 
steak,  and  stewed  tomatoes,  and  smashed  potatoes,  and 
apple  dumplin's  that  would  melt  in  your  mouth,  and 
lemon  sauce  to  eat  on  'em,  and  delicious  coffee. 

Josiah  wuz  happy  in  his  mind,  though  some  in  pain 
owin'  to  the  last  four  dumplin's.  And  that  wuz  the  last 
I  ever  hearn  of  any  anger  on  his  part  about  the  world's 
burnin'  up.  Well,  they  come  after  Delight  that  very 
night,  and  we  both  hated  to  have  her  go,  it  wuz  awful 
lonesome  without  her.  Though  it  wuz  a  great  comfort 
to  know  that  she  wuz  comin'  up  a  week  from  the  next 
Saturday  to  stay  over  Sunday  with  us.  We  looked  for- 
ward to  it. 

The  very  next  day  after  Delight  went  home  I  wuz  in 
the  settin'  room  mendin'  my  Josiah's  best  galluses,  the 
buckles  had  come  off,  and  I  wuz  settin'  there  as  cool  as 
the  buckles  (which  wuz  nickle)  and  as  collected  together 
as  the  galluses  after  I  had  got  'em  mended,  when  all  of 
a  sudden  the  door  bust  open  with  a  bang,  and  in  come  my 
companion  Josiah  from  the  barn,  with  a  splinter  under 
his  thumb  nail,  jest  as  mad  as  a  hornet,  as  a  man  always 
is  when  he  gits  hurt,  and  he  danced  and  jumped  over  the 
floor  like  a  lunatick  and  hollered  out,  "  It  is  all  your 
dumb  doin's,  Samantha!  if  it  hadn't  been  for  you  the 
board  wouldn't  been  there!  " 

Sez  I  calmly,  for  frequent  seens  like  this  had  gin  me 
knowledge,  "  I  didn't  put  it  there,  Josiah." 

"  No,  but  if  you  had  any  eyes  in  your  head  you  would 


168  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

seen  there  wuz  splinters  in  it,  and  I  couldn't  be  liftin*  it 
round  without  gittin'  'em  under  my  thumb!  " 

"  I  didn't  know  you  wuz  goin'  to  lift  it,  Josiah." 

11  You  ort  to  know  it!  I  wuz  liftin'  it  after  hens'  eggs, 
I  thought  I  would  see  if  there  wuz  any  under  the  barn 
before  I  piled  the  straw  on  the  floor,  and  if  it  wuzn't  for 
you  I  wouldn't  keep  a  dum  hen  on  the  place!  And  if 
I  ever  git  so  I  can  use  this  hand  agin,"  sez  he  a-wavin' 
it  out  kinder  ferocious-like,  "  I'll  brain  every  dum  one 
of  'em,  there  never  shall  a  hen  step  her  dum  foot  on  my 
farm  agin  after  to-day!  " 

"  Well,  well,  do  keep  still,  Josiah  Allen,  how  can  I  git 
this  sliver  out  and  you  prancin'  round  so?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  keep  right  on,  jaw  me  all  you  want  to,  keep 
right  on  jawin'  and  talkin',  and  not  let  me  have  a  min- 
ute's rest.  And  let  me  faint  away  on  your  hands.  Oh, 
gracious  heavens!  can't  you  stab  a  little  deeper!  " 

"  Why,  you  wanted  me  to  prick  it  out,  Josiah." 

In  other  times  I  should  have  rebuked  him  sharply  for 
swearin',  but  truly  a  woman  learns  after  twenty  years 
experience  in  married  life  that  there  is  a  time  for  scold- 
in'  and  a  time  to  refrain  from  scoldin'.  I  knew  that 
until  that  sliver  wuz  out  and  the  pain  eased  off  there 
would  be  no  more  use  reasonin'  with  Josiah  Allen  than 
there  would  be  with  a  wild  hyena,  for  when  pain  enters 
into  a  man's  system  (a  ordinary  man)  it  drives  reason 
out  of  it,  and  common  sense  and  decency. 

After  a  while  I  got  the  sliver  out  and  did  it  up  in 
Pond's  extract,  he  groanin'  and  jumpin'  and  blamin' 
me  for  it  every  minute.  Why,  he  told  me  in  one  of  the 
worst  twinges  that  if  it  wuzn't  for  me  there  wouldn't 
be  a  hemlock  board  on  the  premises,  anyway.  And  there 
I  never  had  to  my  recollection  said  the  word  '  *  hemlock  ' ' 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  169 

to  him.  But  I  knew  that  jest  the  minute  he  got  cooled 
off,  his  sense  would  return  and  his  affection  for  me  (he 
had  acted  all  the  while  jest  as  if  I  wuz  prickin'  him 
a-purpose,  and  talked  to  that  effect,  and  seemed  mad  at 
me  as  he  could  be).  But  I  sot  demute,  and  he  didn't  like 
that,  his  state  wuz  such.  Sez  he: 

"  Set  there  and  not  say  a  word,  will  you!  I  should 
think  if  a  man  lay  dead  at  your  door  you  would  speak  up 
and  say  sunthin',  but  no,  you  don't  care  enough  about  it 
to  say  a  word.  Oh,  gracious  Peter!  did  any  human  bein' 
ever  suffer  what  I  am  sufferin'I  " 

And  then  he  jumped  up  and  stumbled  over  a  stool  and 
most  fell  and  yelled  out  at  me  settin'  there  peaceful, 
"  Put  that  stool  in  my  way,  will  you  I  I'll  clear  this 
house  of  every  stool  to-morrow  if  I'm  alive!  the  one  that 
made  that  man-ketcher  is  a  fool!  " 

And  so  it  went  on  for  most  an  hour,  but  Josiah  got 
over  it  jest  as  soon  as  the  pain  stopped,  he  acted  like  a 
new  man.  And  he  asked  me  of  his  own  accord  before 
night  if  I  didn't  want  to  buy  a  new  kind  of  hens,  if 
I  thought  best  he  would  buy  some  Shanghais  and  Ayr- 
shires.  Josiah  is  a  clever  critter  pretty  near  half  the 
time,  and  before  he  slept  he  offered  to  buy  me  a  new 
stool,  or  two  of  'em,  covered  with  rep.  Good  land!  it  all 
come  out  jest  as  I  knew  it  would,  I  had  passed  through 
too  many  cryses  jest  like  it  to  be  skaired.  Why,  when  I 
married  Josiah  Allen  I  took  all  these  resks,  I  knew  how 
it  would  be,  my  father  wuz  a  man,  and  so  wuz  my  young- 
est brother  and  Uncle  John,  and  I  had  lived  in  the  house 
with  'em  all.  I  don't  blame  Josiah  so  very  much,  I  don't 
spoze  he  could  help  actin'. 

Now,  wimmen  can't  help  actin'  in  some  respects,  such 
as  this,  if  company  comes  through  the  front  gate  onex- 


170  SamantJia  on  Children's  Rights 

pected,  she  can't  help  smoothin'  back  her  front  hair  if 
every  hair  lay  as  smooth  as  satin,  it  is  nater  for  her  to 
go  through  the  motions.  And  she  can't  help  jumpin'  if 
she  sees  a  mouse  as  if  she  wuz  afraid  of  her  life,  thongh 
it  hain't  reasonable  to  expect  that  her  life  is  jeapordized 
and  she  will  be  attackted  by  it.  And  it  is  nater  for  her 
to  kiss  a  pretty  baby  and  scold  a  boy  voyalently  who  is 
stunnin'  a  kitten  or  a  bird.  Why,  some  things  come 
jest  as  nateral  as  Nater  herself,  and  can't  be  helped  no 
more  than  she  can.  Josiah  hain't  alone  in  his  actin*  and 
behavin'. 


CHAPTER  XH. 

CCORDIN'  to  promise  Tamer  Ann  brung 
Jack  to  stay  a  few  days  with  me  while  she 
went  on  to  her  Aunt  Nancy  John's.  Her 
Aunt  Nancy  don't  like  children,  bein'  nerv- 
ous and  highstericky,  but  she  is  a  rich 
woman  and  Tamer  has  expectations  from  her,  and  goes 
there  quite  a  good  deal  and  makes  of  her.  She  is 
Tamer's  great  aunt,  and  is  one  of  two  widders  of  the 
same  name,  so  to  tell  'em  apart  we  call  'em  Aunt  Nancy 
John  and  Aunt  Nancy  Joe. 

Jack  wuz  awful  tickled  to  git  to  our  house,  and  I  wuz 
glad  enough  to  see  him.  And  he  played  round  jest  as 
good  as  a  child  could  all  the  afternoon,  and  eat  a  good 
supper,  and  that  night  before  he  went  to  bed  he  come 
and  leaned  his  curly  head  on  my  shoulder,  and  talked 
real  confidential  to  me. 

Tamer  is  a  Piscopal,  or,  that  is,  what  religion  she's  got 
is  of  that  persuasion.  I  know  Piscopals  that  are  per- 
fectly devoted  Christians  and  samplers  for  any  one  to 
f oiler,  but  with  Tamer  I  guess  it  don't  strike  in  very 
deep,  though  she  duz  go  through  the  motions  in  meetin' 
wonderful  for  one  of  her  age,  and  with  all  the  diseases 
she's  got  on  her,  gittin'  up  and  kneelin'  down  with  the 
best  on  'em.  And  she's  real  strict  about  follerin'  some 
of  the  rules  and  wants  her  family  to;  she  had  told  me 
some  time  ago  about  the  trouble  she  had  with  Jack 
keepin'  Lent,  sez  she: 


172  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

11  You  know  we  ort  to  give  up  our  own  wills  and  do 
what  is  pleasin'  to  the  Lord  in  Lent,  and  I  have  the 
greatest  trouble  to  make  the  children  see  the  necessity  of 
it  as  I  do,  and  I  am  so  particular  to  keep  it, ' '  sez  she. 

Thinkses  I,  Tamer  Ann  Allen,  if  you  should  try  to  do 
the  Lord's  will  through  one  day  of  Lent  you  wouldn't 
try  to  make  your  only  girl  live  a  lie  the  rest  of  her  life, 
and  let  your  oldest  boy  go  to  ruin  down  the  path  of  dime 
novels  and  cigarettes.  Why,  every  one  of  the  troubles 
she  had  pinted  out  to  me  wuz  nothin'  bad  in  Jack  at  all, 
only  the  sins  of  ignorance  which  we  read  are  winked  at. 
But  not  a  wink  would  Tamer  give,  not  a  \i  ink.  She  had 
complained  awful  about  his  irreverence  in  prayer  time 
and  his  utter  refusal  to  give  up  pie  and  leave  butter 
off  en  his  bread  durin'  Lent.  "  Why,"  sez  she,  "  when 
I  asked  him  what  he  would  give  up  he  said  apples, 
he  guessed,  he  didn't  love  'em,  and  he  said  he  would 
give  up  bathin',  too,  and  soap,  and  havin'  his  hair 
combed,  the  idee!  " 

"  Did  you  explain  it,  Tamer  Ann,  what  Lent  wuz  for, 
and  why  he  should  make  his  little  sacrifices?  " 

"  No,  it  is  enough  for  me  to  tell  Jack  what  to  do;  he 
has  no  right  to  inquire  into  my  reasons." 

"  But,"  sez  I,  "  didn't  you  inquire  into  what  you 
called  his  irreverence  at  prayer  time?  ' 

"  I  inquired  into  it  with  a  good  switch,  that's  what  I 
did,  for  I  will  not  have  irreverence  and  irreligion  goin' 
on  in  my  house." 

Well,  as  I  said,  Jack  come  to  me  that  night  and  laid 
his  head  against  my  shoulder,  and  I  told  him  he  must 
be  a  good  boy,  and  I  asked  him  why  it  wuz  that  he  didn't 
want  to  say  his  prayers.  He  had  been  in  real  good 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  173 

sperits,  but  the  minute  I  begun  to  talk  about  that  he 
kinder  whimpered  out,  "  I  don't  want  to  everykneeshall- 
bow,  and  I  told  Ma  that  I  didn't,  I  don't  know  what  it  is 
and  don't  want  to  talk  about  it,  and  I  told  Ma  so,  and 
then  she  said  I'd  got  to,  and  then  I  got  mad  and  I  told 
her  I  won't  everykneeshallbow,  and  then  she  whipped 
me.  And  what  is  it,  anyway?  " 

1 1  Say  it  slower,  Jack, ' '  sez  I. 

"  Every-knee-shall-bow, "  sez  he. 

And  then  it  come  to  me,  "  Every  knee  shall  bow." 
And  I  went  on  and  told  him  about  the  great  kind  Ruler 
who  made  him  and  all  the  pleasant  things  that  he  had 
ever  enjoyed,  and  how  it  is  writ  down  that  every  knee 
shall  bow  to  Him. 

"  Well,  I'll  do  that,"  sez  Jack.  "  I  will  kneel  to  Him 
now,  I  didn't  know  what  it  meant,  and  Ma  wuz  too  busy 
to  tell  me,  and  I  got  mad  and  wouldn't  ask  anybody  else. 
And  there  is  sunthin '  else  that  I  wanted  to  know  awfully, 
and  I  wish  you  would  tell  me."  That  poor  little  creeter 
trusted  me  it  seemed  more  than  he  did  any  other  person, 
and  I  felt  greatly  complimented  by  it,  as  much  as  if  a 
President  or  King  had  paid  compliments  to  me. 

"  What  is  the  Miz  that  Ma  makes  me  pray  about  in 
church?  " 

"  The  Miz?  "  sez  I. 

"  Yes,  the  sea  and  all  that  in  the  Miz.  I  didn't  want 
to  pray  about  that,  for  I  thought  it  wuz  sunthin'  big 
and  kinder  fuzzy.  What  is  it,  anyway?  " 

And  then  I  told  him  about  the  same  great  Euler,  who 
ruled  over  the  land  and  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is.  And 
he  went  to  bed  quite  happy  and  promised  to  say  his  pray- 
ers good,  and  I  believe  he  did.  Poor  little  creeter! 

Well,  he  stayed  two  days  and  had  an  awful  good  time, 


174  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

and  Josiah  and  I  enjoyed  it  jest  as  much  as  he  did,  and 
the  next  day,  accordin'  to  promise,  I  took  Jack  over  to 
Tirzah  Ann's  and  Tamer  wuz  goin'  to  stop  and  visit  her 
and  Thomas  J.  on  her  way  back  from  Aunt  Nancy  John's. 
I  made  a  good  call  at  Tirzah 's  and  see  a  new  sass  dish 
she  had  got  and  admired  it,  and  a  shirt  waist,  and  then 
I  left  Jack  happy  enough  to  play  with  Delight,  and  called 
at  Maggie's,  and  Miss  Greene  Smythe  wuz  there,  she  had 
come  to  the  office  to  see  Thomas  Jefferson  and  wuz  wait- 
in*  for  him  to  come  home,  he  wuz  expected  every  minute 
from  Loontown.  I  inquired  in  a  polite  way  after  her 
children,  and  she  said  that  Angenora  wuz  feelin'  rather 
nervous  to-day,  she  wuz  out  to  a  child's  party  the  night 
before  and  didn't  git  home  till  two  o'clock. 

"  That  child,"  sez  I,  "  out  till  two  o'clock!  " 
"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  Jimmy  De  Graff e,  a  boy  from  the 
city,  gave  the  party,  he  lives  near  us  at  home  and  wuz 
devoted  to  Angenora;  he  sent  her  a  valentine  last  year 
which  wuz  a  perfect  love  letter,  and  one  thing  that  makes 
Angenora  feel  so  bad  to-day,  there  wuz  a  little  girl  there 
from  the  city  who  had  on  a  much  prettier  dress  that  hers 
— Angenora 's  wuz  white  silk  with  only  five  ruffles  on  it, 
and  the  little  girl's  wuz  pink  silk  with  seven  ruffles,  and 
Jimmy  paid  her  much  more  attention  than  he  did  Ange- 
nora. It  almost  broke  her  heart,  she  is  just  about  sick 
to-day." 

Sez  I  to  myself,  fashion,  love-disappointments,  jeal- 
ousies, heartburnings,  despair,  emotions  that  child 
hadn't  ort  to  know  the  names  on  for  years  and  years. 
Emotions  big  enough  and  sad  enough  to  swamp  lives  well 
seasoned  by  years  and  experience,  all  being  suffered  by 
that  baby,  who  ortn't  to  have  an  anxiety  above  peanuts 
and  the  multiplication  table,  blind-man's  buff  and  puss- 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  175 

in-the-corner,  for  years  and  years,  the  idee  on't!  Why, 
what  heart  will  that  child  bring  to  her  lessons,  her  Ele- 
mentary Arithmetic  all  mixed  up  with  problems  about 
flirtin'  and  social  supremacy,  her  Gography  full  of  coun- 
tries that  can't  be  bounded,  realms  of  jealousy,  hatred 
and  strife,  her  plain  readin'  and  spellin'  full  of  readin* 
and  spellin'  that  grown  folks  can't  read  or  spell  straight 
to  save  their  lives.  What  will  remain  to  that  child  when 
she  gits  to  be  a  young  woman?  All  the  emotions  of 
youth  outgrown  and  wasted,  she  will  be  old  at  fourteen, 
a  worn-out  old  young  flirt  when  she  enters  her  teens. 
The  pleasant  care-free  land  of  childhood  trompled  down 
and  destroyed,  the  lovely  playgrounds  of  youth  and  hap- 
piness turned  into  campin'  ground  for  worldly  discord 
and  strife,  it  makes  me  feel  bad  to  think  on't." 

But  Miss  Greene  Smythe  went  on,  "  Jimmy  De  Graffe 
seemed  to  think  so  much  of  Angenora,  she  thought  it  wuz 
real  mean  for  him  to  pay  all  his  devoirs  to  another  girl." 

"  Devoirs!  "  sez  I,  "  the  idee  of  them  children  payin' 
devoirs,  but  it  is  well  named,  for  these  carry-ins  on,  fash- 
ionable midnight  parties,  child  flirtations,  etc.,  do  jest 
devour  all  that  is  sweet  and  lovely  in  children,  all  their 
unconscious  grace  and  artless  innocence,  and  dear  little 
ignorant  wise  ways,  why,"  sez  I,  "Angenora  ort  to  look 
on  boys  only  as  comrades  and  playfellows  for  years  and 
years  to  come,  not  lookin'  on  'em  different  from  girls 
only  that  they  are  stronger  and  can  run  faster  and  climb 
trees  better." 

Well,  I  went  away  pretty  soon,  for  my  pardner  come 
from  the  post  office  and  thought  we  had  better  be  goin', 
but  I  kep  thinkin'  all  the  way  home  on  that  triumphant 
child  flirt,  and  Angenora  sad  and  melancholy,  and  the 
idee  of  bo's  and  flirtin'  that  wuz  planted  in  the  minds 


176  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

and  hearts  of  babies,  destroyin'  the  childish  mirth  and 
good  comradeship  that  should  exist  in  happy  freedom 
between  children  of  both  sects.  Pictures  of  pretty  play- 
ful hours  between  Jack  and  Delight  come  to  my  mind 
some  as  you  see  pictures  in  a  magic  lantern,  and  one  of 
the  very  prettiest  ones  come  to  me  as  I  washed  and  wiped 
my  dishes  that  night,  Josiah  doin'  his  barn  chores  at  the 
same  time. 

It  took  place  the  February  before,  February  the  four- 
teenth, the  day  when  Angenora  wuz  writin'  and  receivin' 
lover-like  epistles  from  young  old  men  of  nine  or  ten 
years  of  age,  I  thought  with  satisfaction  and  happiness 
of  this  pretty  seen  that  had  took  place  in  our  own  home. 
Jack  and  Delight  had  been  stayin'  a  week  with  me,  and 
I  had  noticed  for  a  day  or  two  before  that  the  children 
had  had  a  good  deal  of  mysterious  talkin'  between  'em, 
and  there  seemed  to  be  a  secret  they  wuz  tryin'  to  keep 
from  me;  I  see  'em  countin'  their  pennies,  and  once  I 
hearn  Jack  say,  "  All  together  we've  got  leven  cents." 

And  then  Delight  sez,  "  We  can  get  a  splendid  one 
for  that."  But  the  minute  they  ketched  sight  of  me 
they  stopped  talkin'  in  a  dretful  elaborate  way,  put  their 
fingers  to  their  lips,  and  shook  their  heads,  and  nodded 
towards  me  and  Josiah,  and  I  see  it  wuz  sunthin'  con- 
nected with  us,  and  I  made  a  point  at  once  of  not  seein' 
or  hearin'  'em  at  all.  And  that  is  one  of  the  greatest  se- 
crets of  life  and  success,  the  nack  of  not  hearin'  things. 
It  is  almost  as  necessary  in  order  to  git  along  smooth  and 
pleasant  to  not  hear  things  as  it  is  to  hear  'em. 

Lots  of  times  if  you  hear  and  see  things,  sass,  for 
instance,  from  help,  I  mean,  little  bits  of  sass  that  will 
spill  out  of  the  big  dish  of  daily  worry  sometimes,  why, 
if  you  see  that  sass  you  have  got  to  pay  attention  to  it, 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  177 

and  wipe  it  up  with  admonition  and  reproof,  or  ruther 
make  them  that  dropped  it  there  clean  it  up  with  apol- 
ogy and  atonement,  which  will  take  time  and  strength 
and  nerves,  but  if  you  don't  see  it,  why  it  will  evaporate, 
and  the  dish  will  right  itself  up  of  itself,  in  eight  cases 
out  of  ten  it  will. 

And  children,  bless  their  dear  souls!  how  many  times 
it  is  a  positive  boon  to  not  see  their  little  acts  or  hear 
their  little  words.  If  you  see  the  small  feet  wanderin' 
for  a  minute  from  the  highway  in  search  of  some  butter- 
fly, or,  ruther,  why  you've  got  to  pull  'em  back  agin  by 
main  strengh.  But  if  you  don't  see  'em  why  they  will 
come  back  of  their  own  little  accords,  most  always,  and 
save  their  temper  and  yours.  And  so  with  their  out- 
bursts of  discontent  and  annoyance,  if  you  hear  it  you 
have  got  to  rebuke  and  chasten,  but  if  you  don't  hear 
it,  why,  good  land!  it  is  all  over  in  a  minute. 

And  the  best  way  to  teach,  anyway,  is  object  teachin'. 
Make  yourself  the  object,  try  to  do  right  yourself  with 
fear  and  tremblin',  and  make  a  sampler  of  yourself  for 
the  children  to  work  their  poor  little  pieces  of  life's 
canvas  by.  That  is  the  best  way  of  teachin'  on  earth 
and  the  surest  (sometimes  I  do  eppisode  even  in  my 
reveries  and  have  to  resoom  forwards  agin). 

Well,  this  wuz  the  day  but  one  before  Valentine's  day, 
and  the  children  beset  Josiah  to  take  'em  to  Jonesville, 
and  Josiah  promised  he  would. 

But  it  turned  out  to  be  a  turrible  stormy  day,  blowin', 
snowin'  too  bad  for  anybody  to  be  out,  and  Josiah  didn't 
go.  The  children  wuz  fearful  disappinted,  their  little 
faces  wuz  sad  and  overcasted,  and  I  got  a  extra  good 
dinner,  and  when  I  fried  cakes  I  fried  every  animal  I 
ever  hearn  on,  unless  it  wuz  a  Bengal  tiger,  for  'em,  and 


178  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

it  seems  some  as  if  I  fried  him,  but  I  won't  be  certain. 
But  even  this  immense  menagerie  didn't  seem  to  fill  'em 
with  the  joy  it  ort,  but  towards  night  they  begun  to 
brighten  up  some.  I  see  their  two  curly  heads  clost 
together,  the  light  and  the  dark,  talkin'  over  some  proj- 
ect big  to  them,  and  then  they'd  look  at  Josiah  and  me 
dretful  meanin'  and  nod  their  heads  to  each  other  in  a 
knowin'  way,  their  little  faces  all  lighted  up  agin. 

And  they  seemed  to  be  in  full  and  frequent  communi- 
cation with  our  hired  man,  and  then  the  two  little  heads, 
the  dark  lustrous  one  with  threads  of  gold  runnin* 
through  the  dark  curls,  and  the  light  flaxen  one  with 
threads  of  mornin'  sunshine  wove  into  the  long  flaxen 
waves,  these  heads  would  nestle  clost  together  agin  as 
if  in  deep  thought  and  endeavor. 

Well,  the  mornin'  of  Saint  Valentine's  day  wuz  bright 
and  sunshiny,  the  long  rays  of  gold  light  crept  into  our 
room  through  the  white  curtain  edged  with  lace  of  my 
own  knittin',  and  through  them  same  curtains  I  could 
see  the  great  masses  of  warm  light  in  the  east  like  a 
pink  and  gold  carpet  spread  out  for  the  sun  to  walk  up 
into  the  day  on  as  he  come  up  to  light  the  world. 

I  wuz  jest  layin'  and  thinkin'  how  beautiful  and  glori- 
ous it  all  wuz,  and  also  with  one  corner  of  my  mind  won- 
derin'  when  Josiah  laid  out  to  git  up,  and  whether  he 
had  got  enough  kindlin'  wood  the  night  before,  when  I 
heard  two  little  taps  at  the  bedroom  door  and  Josiah 
waked  up.  And  before  we  could  even  ask  who  wuz  there, 
in  come  Jack  and  little  Delight  in  their  long  white  night- 
dresses. Jack  slept  upstairs  in  the  room  with  the  hired 
man,  and  Delight  slept  in  a  little  room  offen  ours.  But 
there  them  two  beautiful  little  creeters  stood  right  in 
the  rays  of  mornin'  light,  hand  in  hand,  with  faces  as 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  179 

grave  and  earnest  as  if  the  hull  weight  of  the  President's 
cares  lay  on  their  curly  heads.  And  as  we  looked  up  and 
see  'em,  they  advanced  hand  in  hand  and  made  two  bows, 
the  most  stupendious  and  wonderful  bows  I  ever  see  or 
hearn  on,  why  their  little  noses  most  grazed  the  floor, 
they  wuz  that  deep  and  impressive,  and  then  they  re- 
peated both  on  'em  in  their  sweet,  fresh  little  voices: 

"  The  rose  is  red,  the  vilets  blue, 
The  pink  is  pretty,  and  so  are  you. 
My  pen  is  poor,  my  ink  is  pale, 
My  love  for  you  shall  never  fail." 

And  then  they  made  agin  them  solemn  deep  bows  and 
walked  out  of  the  room  still  holdin'  hands.  And  Josiah 
and  I  kinder  smiled  a  little  after  they  went  out,  not  be- 
fore them,  no,  not  for  a  silver  dollar  would  I  laughed 
before  them,  and  I  sez,  ' '  This  is  our  valentine,  Josiah. ' ' 

"  Yes,"  sez  he,  "  and  a  prettier  one  never  went 
through  a  post  office." 

11  That's  so,"  sez  I,  "  unless  it  wuz  the  one  you  sent 
me  with  the  roses  and  forget-me-nots  on  it  the  year  be- 
fore we  wuz  married."  And  all  the  time  Josiah  wuz 
buildin'  the  fire,  and  while  I  wuz  gittin'  breakfast  I 
thought  of  how  the  blossoms  of  life  are  scattered  down 
through  all  the  seasons  of  the  year  and  of  life.  The 
roses  that  come  with  that  valentine  of  Josiah 's  had 
faded,  the  frosts  of  thirty  years  had  stole  the  pretty  pink 
tinge  offen  'em,  and  the  years  had  gone  by,  long  years, 
long  years,  and  youth  wuz  past. 

But,  good  land!  could  anything  be  so  sweet  and  beauti- 
ful as  the  valentine  that  had  come  to  us  on  this  February 
morning,  when  the  gray  hairs  lay  thick  on  my  own  head, 


180  Samantlia  on  Children's  Rights 

and  my  poor  Josiah 's  head  wuz  bare  beneath  the  touch 
of  Time's  hand,  which  had  been  strokin'  him  down  for 
so  long  a  time.  I  told  the  children  at  the  breakfast  table, 
as  they  sot  in  their  little  high  chairs  opposite  to  Josiah 
and  me,  and  my  face  wuz  jest  as  earnest  and  good  as  I 
could  make  it: 

"  You  couldn't  have  pleased  us  so  well  with  any  other 
valentine  in  the  world,  there  couldn't  be  one  bought 
anywhere  that  we  should  have  liked  half  so  well— could 
there,  Josiah?  " 

"  No,"  sez  he,  "  not  one;  there  hain't  a  valentine  in 
the  hull  country  that  could  compare  with  the  one  we  got 
this  mornin'." 

And  then  the  children  bust  right  out  laughin',  they 
wuz  so  tickled  to  think  we  liked  it,  and  they  laughed 
partly,  I  think,  because  I  had  gin  each  on  'em  a  little 
glass  dish  of  honey  as  a  treat  on  account  of  the  valentine. 
Bless  their  sweet  hearts!  could  any  other  valentine  be 
tinged  with  the  light  of  love  that  gilt  ourn?  Could  any 
picture  match  the  lustrous  tenderness  of  the  soft  gray 
eyes,  and  soft  mornin'  glory  blue  ones?  Could  any  gold- 
edged  paper  equal  the  glint  of  the  golden  hair,  could 
any  page  equal  the  pink  tinge  of  the  rosy  cheeks,  and 
the  white  forwards  and  necks,  and  little  pink  toes  stickin' 
out  under  their  nightgowns  as  our  dear  little  valentines 
come  to  us  in  the  fresh  morning  light,  warmin'  up  the 
coldness  of  a  February  morning? 

Well,  a  few  days  after  this  Josiah  told  me  he  had 
seen  Mrs.  Greene  Smythe  to  Thomas  Jefferson's  office, 
and  she  wanted  to  see  me  on  a  little  bizness,  and  wanted 
me  to  come  in  when  I  wuz  up  that  way,  as  she  under- 
stood I  wuz  quite  often,  she  wanted  to  consult  me  about 


Samantlia  on  Children's  Rights  181 

a  Charity  Bazar.  Well,  the  word  charity  is  always  a- 
takin'  one  with  me,  for  in  that  incomparable  chapter  I 
love  so  well  it  describes  all  the  graces  at  full  length,  and 
then  sez,  "  The  greatest  of  these  is  Charity." 


CHAPTER 

T  wuzn't  long  after  this  that  Josiah  had  to 
go  over  to  South  Scriba  to  sell  some  spruce 
lumber,  he  wanted  to  dicker  for  some  salted 
white  fish,  they  ketch  sights  of  white  fish 
to  the  lake,  and  by  goin'  a  little  round  we 
could  go  right  by  the  summer  hotel  where  Miss  Greene 
Smythe  wuz  stayin'.  The  hotel  wuz  a  big  buildin'  stand- 
in'  in  large,  beautiful  grounds;  it  wuz  the  biggest  hotel 
in  the  place,  and  she  had  the  hull  floor  of  one  wing,  lived 
there  jest  as  independent  as  you  please  with  her  own 
servants,  and  her  daughter,  Medora,  and  the  young 
twins,  Algernon  and  Angenora. 

Josiah  left  me  there,  and,  as  I  wuz  waitin'  to  be  showed 
up  to  her  room,  I  hearn  the  twins  fightin'  fiercely  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs  and  kickin'  each  other  and  swearin' 
like  two  young  pirates  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and 
while  I  wuz  lookin'  on  in  astonishment  a  girl  come  run- 
nin'  downstairs  and  yanked  'em  back,  one  in  each  hand, 
and  swore  at  'em,  for  I  hearn  her  with  my  own  ears, 
and  scolded  'em  like  a  termagant.  I  spoze  it  wuz  their 
French  nurse,  for  her  swearin'  had  a  kinder  queer  axent. 
"Well,  I  sot  there  quite  a  spell  while  the  man  went  to  see 
whether  Miss  Greene  Smythe  wuz  to  home;  he  wuz  gone 
a  awful  while. 

And  while  I  sot  there  a  good  lookin'  woman,  with  a 
rather  sharp  chin  and  nose,  come  along,  and  sot  down 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  183 

in  a  chair  near  me,  she  come  in  jest  as  the  girl  dragged 
'em  off,  quarrelin'  and  usin'  words  I  wouldn't  speak 
for  a  dollar  bill.  And  this  woman  went  on  and  told 
me  things  I  hated  to  hear— I  didn't  ask  her,  she  told  of 
her  own  accord. 

Sez  she,  "  Miss  Greene  Smythe  makes  a  great  show, 
and  don't  want  to  even  speak  to  folks  full  as  good  as 
she  is. ' '  And  here  she  tosted  her  head  quite  a  good  deal. 
"  But  if  she  would  spend  some  of  the  time  on  her  chil- 
dren she  spends  on  fashion  and  them  everlastin'  young 
men  danglin'  round  her,  she  would  be  less  apt  to  have  a 
gallows  rared  up  in  her  family."  She  said  she  didn't  be- 
lieve there  ever  wuz  such  a  actin'  child  in  the  hull  world 
as  Algernon.  Angenora,  she  said,  wuz  better  disposi- 
tioned  to  start  with,  but  wuz  bein'  spilte  by  Algernon's 
plaguin'  her  so.  She  had  got  so  she  would  swear  and 
kick  almost  as  loud  and  hard  as  he  would  while  he  wuz 
fightin'  her. 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  they're  little  things,  they  don't  know 
any  better." 

11 1  know  it,"  sez  she,  "  their  nurses  are  ugly  dis- 
positioned,  both  on  'em,  and  they're  jest  as  mean  as  they 
can  be  to  the  children,  though  they  keep  'em  clean 
enough.  But,"  she  said  they  wuz  ignorant  as  might  be 
expected,  and  used  so  many  slang  words  and  low  phrases 
the  children  had  ketched  their  language  and  oaths,  so 
their  talk  wuz  more  like  a  pirate's  children  or  a  bucka- 
neer's  that  the  children  of  Christian  parents.  "  And 
fight!  "  sez  she,  she  didn't  believe  there  wuz  a  bigger 
fighter  on  earth  than  Algernon  for  his  age.  And  lie! 
why,  Algernon's  nurse,  she  said,  wuz  such  a  liar  that 
she  fairly  seemed  to  prespire  untruth  through  her  pores, 
and  them  children  wuz  with  her  all  the  time  and  breathed 


184  Samantlia  on  Children's  Rights 

her  atmosphere,  drinkin'  it  down  with  their  milk  (they 
wuz  both  brung  up  on  a  bottle,  Miss  Greene  Smythe 
thinkin'  it  more  genteel).  And  Algernon  would  lie  now 
in  such  a  picturesque,  dashin'  way  as  to  fairly  stunt  any- 
body to  hear  it. 

And  Angenora  follered  on  as  fast  as  her  temperament 
and  nateral  nater  would  let  her.  She  said  the  children 
wuz  with  the  nurses  most  all  the  time,  for  Miss  Greene 
Smythe  and  Medora  wuz  out  nights,  and  when  they  wuz 
to  home  they  didn't  seem  to  have  time  to  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  the  children,  and  she  said  little  Angenora  her- 
self wuz  out  nights  sometimes  till  one  and  two  o  'clock  to 
children's  parties,  and  eat  rich  stuff  and  drunk  coffee 
and  champagne  at  midnight,  and  that  wuz  another  thing 
that  made  her  so  bad  lately. 

Sez  I,  "  Our  grandchildren  have  parties,  but  they  in- 
vite their  little  comrades  of  both  sects  to  come  in  the 
afternoon,  and  they  play  games,  blind  man's  buff,  and 
tag,  and  they  have  swings,  and  they  play  with  dolls  and 
balls  and  marbles  jest  like  the  babies  they  are,  and  at 
six  o'clock  they  have  a  good  hullsome  supper,  sweet 
bread  and  butter,  and  a  little  briled  chicken  mebby,  and 
one  kind  of  good  plain  cake  baked  and  frosted  in  pretty 
shapes  to  please  the  childish  eye,  and  plenty  of  ripe  fruit, 
oranges,  etc.,  and  a  little  candy,  and  good  chocolate  with 
cream  in  it  to  drink,  and  they  home  by  sundown,  happy 
and  tired,  a  good,  healthy  tire,  that  makes  'em  sleep  like 
tops  and  wake  up  refreshed  to  meet  the  mornin'  greetin* 
of  the  rising  sun,  ready  and  willin'  to  tackle  their  les- 
sons or  their  play  agin. ' ' 

Well,  she  said,  "  That  wuzn't  Miss  Greene  Smythe's 
way,  and,"  sez  she,  "it  is  killin'  Angenora,  her  little 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  185 

head  is  gittin'  weak,  and  she  is  jest  on  the  pint  of  nerv- 
ous prostration  and  heart  failure." 

"  Heart  failure  and  nervous  prostration  at  nine  years 
of  age!  "  sez  I  convelsively. 

"  Yes,"  sez  she,  "  and  you'll  see  I'm  right,  though 
her  mother  wouldn't  pay  any  attention  if  I  should  speak 
to  her  about  it.  She  don't  see  me  half  the  time,"  sez  she, 
' '  right  wlien  I  meet  her  face  to  face. ' '  She  stood  ready, 
I  could  see,  to  talk  aginst  Miss  Greene  Smythe,  but  I 
wuzn't  goin'  to  jine  in  it,  but  I  felt  dretful  worried  about 
what  she  had  told  me,  and  sez: 

"  How  duz  Algernon  stand  it?  " 

"  Oh,  he  won't  go,"  sez  the  woman;  "  he  jest  swears 
and  throws  himself  and  acts  so  his  Ma  has  gin  up  tryin* 
to  make  him  go.  He  sez  he  hain't  a-goin*  to  dance 
with  girls  and  stay  out  all  night  for  nobody;  and  he  is 
so  ugly  dispositioned  they  dassent  try  to  make  him  do 
what  he  don't  want  to." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  ugly  or  not,  he  shows  good  sense  in 
that. ' '  But  at  that  minute  the  man  returned  and  told  me 
Miss  Greene  Smythe  wuz  to  home,  and  I  followed  him 
upstairs.  Medora  wuz  away  for  a  week  or  so  at  some 
other  resort,  and  Miss  Greene  Smythe  wuz  alone,  and  she 
seemed  quite  glad  to  see  me.  She  give  me  a  big  easy 
chair,  and  almost  to  once  begun  to  consult  me  about  the 
entertainment. 

Sez  she,  "  I  shall  have  musicians  and  elocutionists 
from  the  city,  there  will  be  a  big  special  train  to  bring 
the  guests  down,  but  I  would  like  also  to  please  the  na- 
tives, if  I  could.  I  am  bound  to  have  the  biggest  affair 
of  the  season,  and  everybody  who  comes  of  course  will 
feel  bound  to  buy  something." 


186  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

And  I  sez  reasonable,  "  I  don't  believe  that  there  are 
any  natives  round  here,  not  more  than  one,  anyway— I 
hearn  there  is  one  old  Injun  basket  maker  tentin'  in 
the  woods  back  of  Sylvester  Bobbettses,  but  it  hain't  no 
ways  likely  he  will  come." 

She  sez,  "  I  mean  the  folks  that  live  round  here." 

"  Oh,"  sez  I,  "  I  guess  they  will  turn  out  first  rate, 
it  is  a  real  charitable  place  here." 

"  I  want  your  help,"  sez  she;  "  do  help  me  by  talkin' 
it  up  to  people,  won't  you?  " 

And  I  told  her  I  would,  "  For,"  sez  I,  "  Charity  never 
faileth,  and,"  sez  I,  "  if  I  wuz  not  interested  in  charity  I 
should  feel  like  soundin'  brass  and  tinklin'  cymbal,  not 
that  I  know  what  a  cymbal  is,  but  suppose  it  is  a  brass 
horn." 

"  Yes,"  sez  she,  "  charity  for  the  heathen  is  the  main 
work  of  course,  but  socially  I  want  it  to  be  a  great  suc- 
cess." 

I  had  told  her,  when  I  first  went  in,  that  I  couldn't 
stay  long,  and  had  refused  to  take  off  my  bunnet,  so 
pretty  soon  she  mentioned  she  wuz  goin'  to  a  lawn  party 
to  a  neighborin'  hotel  that  afternoon,  and  asked  me  if 
I  would  feel  hurt  if  she  went  on  dressin'  while  she  talked 
to  me,  and  I  told  her  no,  and  I  sez,  *  *  Josiah  is  liable  to 
come  any  minute,  he'll  come  jest  as  soon  as  he  makes  his 
dicker." 

So  her  maid  proceeded  to  put  on  her  shoes,  she  had 
got  her  underclothes  all  on  and  wuz  in  her  dressin'  jacket 
and  slippers.  She  had  handsome  silk  stockin's  on,  em- 
broidered beautiful,  but*  she  wuz  cut  out  for  a  big,  fat 
woman,  and  her  feet  wuz  big,  they  wuz  at  the  least  cal- 
culation number  five  feet,  but  the  shoe  that  maid  tried 
to  get  on  them  feet  wuzn't  more  than  number  three.  I 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  187 

see  the  efforts  for  quite  a  spell  and  didn't  say  a  word, 
why  her  feet  wuz  squooze  to  that  extent  that  her  toes 
any  good  excuse  for  makin'  a  lame  martyr  of  herself. 

"  Oh,  they  would  make  light,  and  say  I  wuzn't  fash- 
ionable. ' ' 

And  I  sez,  "  I  believe  I  could  bear  that  better  than  I 
could  what  you're  sufferin'  now.  But  I  don't  believe 
they  would  notice  'em,  I  believe  you  could  wear  a  shoe 
big  enough  for  your  feet,  so  you  could  walk  and  enjoy 
life,  and  nobody  would  find  it  out,  nobody  would  ever 
think  to  look  and  tell  on't." 

"  Oh,  yes,  they  would,"  sez  she,  "  they  would  laugh." 

"  Well,  mebby  you  would  be  in  a  condition  to  laugh 
yourself,  which  you  are  fur  from  bein'  now,"  sez  I 
pityin'ly.  But  I  couldn't  convince  her,  and  she  stood  up 
on  them  pinted  toes  and  high,  slim  heels,  and  waddled 
off  to  the  bed  where  her  dress  wuz. 

And  then  follered  another  battle  between  mind  and 
matter,  between  too  compressed  matter,  namely  a  big, 
fat  waist,  and  a  small  but  firm  minded  cosset  and  waist. 
For  a  long  time  the  victory  seemed  to  be  on  the  side  of 
the  fat  body,  but  it  had  to  gin  in,  the  last  button  wuz 
drawed  to,  the  last  fortress  of  flesh,  which  resisted  to  the 
death,  wuz  overcome  and  crowded  in,  and  the  steel  walls 
of  the  prison  told  no  tales  of  the  agony  within.  Heavy 
skirts  wuz  adjusted  and  draped  about  the  achin'  form, 
the  long  train  lay  out  on  the  carpet,  and  the  number  six 
hands  crowded  into  the  number  four  gloves,  and  Miss 
Greene  Smythe  wuz  ready  to  go  and  enjoy  fashionable 
life.  She  said  she  wouldn't  go  until  dear  Mr.  Allen 
come,  but  we  would  go  and  sit  down  on  the  balcony, 
where  it  would  be  pleasanter  than  here. 

Well,  as  we  sot  there  in  that  upper  piazza  we  could 


188  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

hear  plain  the  voices  of  Algernon  and  his  nurse,  and  oc- 
casionally the  voice  of  Angenora,  enough  to  show  she 
wuz  there,  and  we  heard  swear  words  and  nasty  words, 
lots  of  'em,  words  that  our  grandchildren,  in  their  love- 
guarded  home,  had  never  dremp  of  and  wouldn't  as  long 
as  their  Pa's  and  Ma's  and  grandparents  had  eyes  to 
see  and  ears  to  hear.  Miss  Greene  Smythe  looked  up  to 
me  and  sez,  "  I  am  ashamed  of  the  way  that  boy  talks, 
but  he  got  it  from  his  nurse,  she  is  good  as  gold  in  some 
things,  but  has  got  a  voylent  temper,  and  when  she  is 
angry  she  uses  awful  language,  but  she  don't  have  her 
mad  fits  often." 

And  I  sez,  "  Hain't  you  afraid  it  will  ruin  the  twins 
to  be  under  such  influence  now  in  the  most  impression- 
able age?  " 

And  she  admitted  she  had  worried  some  about  it,  and 
sez  she,  "  I  should  got  rid  of  her  long  ago,  but  she  is 
a  be-a-uti-ful  hairdresser,  that  wuz  her  father's  bizness, 
and  her  mother  wuz  a  dressmaker,  and  she  has  natural 
taste  about  dress.  And  you  know  if  hair  don't  have 
proper  attention  it  will  lose  its  gloss  and  won't  friz  as 
it  ought  to.  And,  as  for  loopin'  up  drapery,  I  have 
never  seen  that  woman's  equal  in  my  life,  my  maid  is 
jest  nowhere  beside  her.  And  goin'  into  society  as  much 
as  I  do,  you  can  see  how  necessary  it  is  I  should  have 
some  one  right  in  the  house  that  I  can  depend  on,  that  I 
can  put  confidence  in  as  to  the  hanging  of  my  skirt,  and 
my  bangs." 

11  Well,"  sez  I,  in  a  ruther  cold  axent,  "  if  you  don't 
see  curiouser  loopin 's  and  bangs  in  the  twin's  heads  and 
hearts  bime-by  than  any  you  ever  had  in  a  dress  or 
foretop,  then  I'll  miss  my  guess."  And  I  went  on  and 
argued  with  her  for  quite  a  spell  for  the  children's  good. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  189 

I  tried  hard  to  make  her  think  that  the  well-doin'  of 
her  children,  and  the  immortal  destiny  of  their  souls, 
wuz  of  more  consequence  than  the  puckerin's  of  her 
dress,  or  the  frizzle  of  her  hair,  but  I  couldn't  seem 
to  make  her  think  as  I  did,  and  so  I  spoze  it  will  have 
to  go  on.  That  girl's  nasty  mad  swearin'  talk  settin' 
the  example,  and  the  twins  follerin'  on  and  workin'  it 
out  as  plain  as  my  grandmother  ever  worked  a  blue  rose 
and  pink  horse  from  a  exampler  at  school  and  framed 
it  for  us  to  look  at.  I  knew  the  sampler  the  twins  wuz 
workin'  under  that  woman's  teachin'  wuz  goin'  to  be 
framed  in  a  stronger  frame  than  I  ever  sot  eyes  on  and 
hung  on  a  higher  wall.  I  felt  bad,  I  knew  that  the  frame 
wuz  as  strong  as  a  deathless  life,  and  the  wall  high  as 
eternity. 

Little  Angenora's  nurse  wuzn't  so  fiery  dispositioned 
as  Algernon's.  But  she  give  her  opiates  to  make  her 
sleep  when  she  wanted  to  go  out  with  her  bo's,  and  hurt 
her  body  in  that  way,  and  others  I  don't  want  to  talk 
about,  but  mebby  she  didn't  hurt  her  soul  so  much  as  she 
did  Algernon's,  'tennyrate  it  didn't  show  quite  so  plain 
now,  she  didn't  swear  so  loud  as  he  did,  nor  throw  her- 
self so  heavy. 

But  the  opiates  made  the  little  creeter  look  wan  and 
pale  and  sleepy  more'n  half  the  time,  and  I  said  to  Miss 
Greene  Smythe  in  this  conversation,  it  seemed  a  shame 
to  have  her  little  constitution  all  ruined  in  that  way  on- 
beknown  to  her,  before  she  wuz  old  enough  to  defend  it. 
But  she  said  she  guessed  she  didn't  give  Angenora  very 
much,  she  wuz  a  pale  child  naturally. 

But  I  see  her  attention  wuz  wanderin'  from  what  I 
wuz  sayin'  to  sunthin  she  wuz  beholdin'  on  the  inside  of 
her  mind,  and  anon  she  asked  me  if  I  could  tell  her 


190  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

where  she  could  find  a  perfectly  white  Spitz  dog  with  a 
black  ring  around  its  neck. 

And  I  sez  in  a  kind  of  impatient  way,  for  I  didn't  like 
to  be  broke  up  in  my  high  minded,  conscientious  talk,  * '  I 
don't  know  anything  about  such  a  pup." 

Sez  she,  "  I  didn't  really  suppose  you  would,  but  I 
am  so  anxious  to  git  one  I  improve  every  opportunity 
to  inquire.  They  are  the  height  of  fashion,  and,  while  I 
am  obliged  to  stay  here  in  the  country,  waiting  the  end- 
ing of  this  tedious  lawsuit,  such  a  pet  would  be  so  much 
company  for  me." 

"  Company!  "  sez  I,  in  a  deep,  impressive  voice,  "  if 
you  want  company,  where  are  your  own  girl  and  boy, 
where  are  the  two  little  immortal  souls  the  Lord  gin  you 
to  guide  and  fit  for  a  place  with  Him  bime-by?  Them 
two  little  white  souls  you  are  leavin'  with  ignorant, 
coarse  servants  to  train?  " 

And  I  went  on  real  eloquent  for  as  much  as  four  min- 
utes and  a  half,  but  she  didn't  hear  me,  for,  after  I  got 
through  with  my  powerful  remarks  and  wuz  kinder 
waitin'  for  a  reply,  she  sez,  "  I  can't  possibly  make  up 
my  mind  which  to  have." 

And  I  wuz  real  encouraged,  for  I  thought  I  had  con- 
vinced her  and  she  wuz  turnin'  it  over  in  her  mind  which 
it  wuz  best  to  have,  help  about  her  puckers  and  frizzles 
or  more  assured  hope  about  her  children's  future,  and  I 
sez,  "  I  could  tell  quick." 

"  Well,  then,  do  tell,"  sez  she,  "  for  I  don't  believe  I 
can  ever  make  up  my  mind  alone,  there  are  so  many 
things  dependent  on  it,  it  is  not  itself  alone  that  you 
should  take  into  consideration." 

11  That  is  jest  what  I  have  been  tryin'  to  make  you 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  191 

understand,"  sez  I,  "  All  the  mighty  consequences 
hangin'  on  it,  and  I  am  glad  you  feel  to  realize  it." 

"  Well,  then,"  sez  she,  "  what  color  would  you  have?  " 

"  Color!  "  sez  I. 

"  Yes,"  sez  she,  "  what  color  would  you  have  for  the 
awnings  and  trimmings  for  the  big  tent  where  I  am  to 
receive?  I  myself  should  prefer  pink  as  more  becoming 
to  my  complexion.  Medora  wants  pale-blue  on  account 
of  her  hair,  which  she  has  just  dyed  a  golden  color.  But 
Mrs.  La  Flamme,  at  her  great  charity  ball,  had  blue 
awnings  and  draperies,  and  I  wouldn't  for  the  world 
have  her  think  I  copied  her  or  was  lacking  in  originality 
—what  do  you  think  of  a  delicate  shell  pink?  " 

I  riz  up  with  a  real  lot  of  dignity,  and,  as  I  glanced 
down,  I  see  one  of  her  danglers  sot  there  in  a  stylish  car- 
riage, waiting  for  her,  evidently. 

So  I  sez,  "  Don't  let  me  hender  you  any  longer;  Jo- 
siah  will  be  here  in  a  few  minutes,  and  I  have  got  some 
bizness  of  my  own  to  tend  to  before  I  go."  I  did  want 
to  see  the  landlord  about  some  jars  of  butter  I  had  sold 
him,  he  had  made  a  mistake  about  sendin'  home  the  jars. 
So  she  went  downstairs  on  that  side  of  the  buildin',  and 
I  swep'  through  the  hall  with  a  sight  of  dignity,  and 
didn't  finish  sweepin'  till  I  swep  over  some  playthings 
of  Algernon's,  and  he  swore  at  me  till  I  got  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  stairs. 

Well,  the  landlord  promised  to  send  home  my  jars, 
and  I  went  out  on  the  lower  piazza,  which  wuz  most  de- 
serted at  this  hour,  and  pretty  soon  Angenora  come  and 
found  me  there.  She  had  got  sick  of  playin '  with  Alger- 
non, she  said,  and,  as  we  sot  there,  we  could  hear  him 
swearin'  at  his  nurse  and  tearin'  at  the  cat's  tail.  And 


192  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

the  cat's  yells  of  distress  and  the  nurse's  coarse  rebukes 
all  come  mellowed  by  the  distance,  and  she  leaned  up 
aginst  me  and  we  had  a  good  little  visit.  She  knew  me 
quite  well,  for  she  had  been  to  our  house  a  number  of 
times,  and  I  had  seen  her  at  Thomas  J.'s  when  she'd  been 
there  to  play  with  the  children. 

She  wuz  a  affectionate  little  thing,  or  she  wouldn't 
have  worried  so  over  Jimmy  De  Graffe.  Her  eyes  wuz 
big  and  black  and  solemn  lookin',  and  her  hair  curled  in 
little  short  black  curls  all  over  her  head,  her  complexion 
wuz  white  and  clear,  and  she  looked  wan.  But  I  believe 
it  wuz  what  she  had  had  gin  her  that  made  her  look 
so,  as  well  as  her  late  hours  and  fashionable  flirtations. 
But  she  wuz  very  handsome,  and  I  didn't  wonder  so 
much  what  I  had  always  heard,  that  of  all  her  children 
Miss  Greene  Smythe  loved  this  one  best,  and  wuz  proud- 
est of  her  and  bound  to  have  her  shine  in  society  even  at 
the  age  of  nine,  poor  little  thing!  I  don't  doubt  but  what 
her  Ma  loved  her,  but  it  wuz  a  love  so  covered  up  and  hid 
underneath  fashion  and  frivolity  and  show  that  I 
thought  to  myself  it  might  jest  about  as  well  not  been 
there  at  all  for  all  the  good  it  did  her. 

Though  they  say  Miss  Greene  Smythe  did  once  in  a 
while,  when  she  had  a  few  minutes '  reprieve  from  her  life 
work  of  show  and  sham,  pet  little  Angenora,  and  tell 
her  how  she  loved  her,  and  that  she  wuz  the  only  com- 
fort of  her  Ma's  hard,  toilsome  life.  Love  begets  love, 
and  that  is  why,  I  spoze,  little  Angenora  wuz  the  only 
livin'  thing  on  earth  that  really  loved  Miss  Greene 
Smythe,  she  did  love  her  fondly. 

She  wuz  a  tender-hearted  child,  anyway,  and  had  to 
love  somethin',  and  wanted  to  be  mothered,  wanted  to 
dretfully,  but,  seein'  her  mother  wuz  engaged  in  her  labor 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  193 

of  fashionable  display,  she  didn  't  git  mothered  at  all,  and 
that  gin  her  the  wistful,  longin'  look  in  her  eyes,  that  and 
her  late  hours  and  the  stuff  her  nurse  gin  her.  And  she 
had  a  sort  of  pitiful,  skairful  look  in  her  eyes,  and  that 
come,  I  found  out,  from  her  nurse  skairin'  her  nights  ever 
sence  she  wuz  a  baby  to  make  her  lay  still,  tellin'  her  that 
somebody  would  jump  at  her,  or  that  there  wuz  great 
green  eyes  lookin'  out  at  her  from  different  places,  and 
there  wuz  wicked  men  ready  to  appear  to  her,  and  ghosts 
and  everything,  and  as  the  nurse  had  always  told  her 
that  she  would  eat  her  up  alive,  if  she  told  anything 
about  it,  why,  it  had  gin  her  a  dretful  subdued  look  and 
afraid  to  say  her  little  soul  wuz  her  own.  But  I  spoze 
the  deep,  silent,  constant  love  of  this  little  thing  wuz 
a  rock  of  support  for  her  Ma  to  think  on  in  her  fash- 
ionable career,  I  spoze  so. 

Well,  I  put  my  arm  round  her,  and  she  laid  her  little 
cheek  up  aginst  me  real  confidin'  and  sweet,  and  I  told 
her  stories  and  mothered  her  jest  as  well  as  I  could  till 
my  Josiah  appeared  drivin'  up  the  long  avenoo  with  the 
mair  and  colt.  And  I  told  her  to  have  her  Ma  let  her 
come  down  and  stay  a  week  with  us,  and  she  brightened 
up  real  bright  and  said  she  would. 

Josiah  had  made  the  dicker,  so  he  told  me,  as  we 
drove  home,  and  had  swapped  five  hundred  feet  of 
spruce  lumber  for  white  fish  put  down  in  sweet  pickle. 
And  I  sez,  "  For  mercy  sake!  what  do  you  want  of  so 
many  fish?  " 

And  he  sez,  "  I  love  'em  dearly,  Samantha. " 

"  But,"  sez  I,  "  you  may  love  anything  and  not  want 
to  be  swamped  by  it,  run  over  and  drownded  in  it." 

"  Well,"  he  said,  fish  agreed  with  his  stomach  and 
wuz  nourishin'  to  the  brain. 


194  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

And  I,  takin'  a  second  thought  on  his  last  proposi- 
tion, sez,  "  Mebby  you  hain't  got  any  too  many,  Josiah, 
I  guess  you  had  better  eat  all  you  can."  I  knew  if  he 
couldn't  git  down  four  or  five  kags  of  'em  we  could  give 
'em  to  the  children. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 


ALWAYS  did  kinder  like  to  have  onexpected 
company,  it  seems  as  though  I  always  have 
a  better  visit  with  'em,  and  I  felt  as  pleas- 
ant as  the  day,  which  wuz  a  beautiful  one, 
when  two  loads  of  company  driv  up  entirely 
onexpected  about  an  hour  before  noon,  Tamer  Ann  Allen 
and  Jack  and  Tirzah  Ann  and  little  Delight,  all  happenin' 
to  come  at  almost  the  same  time,  and  we  had  a  real  good 
visit.  -Tamer  had  concluded  to  stop  a  day  longer  so's 
to  visit  me.  I  had  got  my  work  all  done  and  a  good 
dinner  started,  and  wuz  standin'  on  the  porch  lookin' 
onto  the  environin'  seen  when  they  all  driv  up  most  to- 
gether, though  comin'  from  two  different  ways. 

I  wuz  jest  noticin'  how  sweet  the  posies  wuz  that  grew 
by  the  back  porch,  and  how  full  the  hearts  of  the  roses 
wuz  with  perfume,  and  how  the  pink  and  pale-blue  bells 
of  the  mornin'  glories  seemed  fairly  swingin'  to  onseen 
music,  to  show  their  delight  at  openin'  their  eyes  onto 
such  a  fair  world.  The  far-off  hills  towered  up  clad  in 
deathless  green  and  leaned  aginst  the  sky  as  if  real  con- 
tented and  glad  to  be  there.  The  blue  sky,  flecked  with 
little  snowy  clouds,  looked  down  sweet  and  smilin'  on 
Jonesville  and  the  world.  The  meadows  and  pastures 
smiled  up  at  the  bendin'  sky,  the  trees,  all  washed  off  by 
the  shower  of  the  night  before,  glistened  and  shook  out 
their  velvet  and  shinin'  foliage,  and  the  grass  wuz  flecked 
with  sunshine  embroidered  with  daisies. 


196  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

And,  best  view  of  all  to  my  fond  heart,  my  companion 
stood  in  the  open  barn  door  in  his  shirt  sleeves  feedin' 
the  hens,  and  his  face  looked  calm  and  reposeful  as  the 
seen.  Tirzah  and  Delight  got  there  a  little  the  first,  and 
as  I  lifted  the  sweet  little  creeter  out  it  did  seem,  though 
I  knew  it  couldn't  be,  that  she  wuz  prettier  than  she  wuz 
the  last  time  I  had  seen  her.  But  my  cool  reason  told 
me  how  could  that  be,  when  she  wuz  jest  as  pretty  as 
she  could  be  on  that  occasion.  She's  got  big,  kinder 
talkin'  eyes,  a  warm  soft  hazel,  I  guess  they  be,  but  they 
are  so  full  of  light  and  soul  and  expression  that  you 
don't  care  so  much  what  the  color  really  is,  a  fair,  white 
complexion,  wavy,  flaxen  hair,  good  features,  and  the 
sweetest  mouth  you  ever  see  with  most  always  a  smile 
curvin'  the  rosy  lips,  and  a  pretty  plump  little  figger 
most  always  dressed  in  white. 

When  she  see  me  she  held  out  her  little  soft  white 
hands  and  arms,  and  I  lifted  her  out,  kissin'  her  warmly 
as  I  did  so;  I  then  greeted  Tirzah  Ann  warmly,  a  good 
deal  more  warm  than  Ma-in-laws  usually  greet  their  step- 
children, but,  good  land!  I  have  always  considered  her 
my  own,  jest  as  much  as  she  wuz  Josiah's,  though  not 
so  soul  congenial  to  me  as  Thomas  J.,  she  has  her  proper- 
ties. 

Well,  they  hadn't  much  more  than  alighted  when 
Tamer  Ann  and  Jack  come.  I  wuz  real  glad  to  see  'em 
all,  and,  after  they  had  took  off  their  things,  I  got  'em 
into  the  settin'  room,  and  went  out  and  made  a  few  more 
preparations  for  dinner,  though  I  had  a  good  dinner 
started.  I  had  a  stuffed  fowl  and  some  green  peas  on, 
and  wuz  intendin'  to  have  some  tomatoes  cooked,  and 
some  fresh,  crisp  rolls  and  a  good  lemon  puddin',  besides 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  197 

coffee  and  cream  and  jell  and  things,  but  I  put  on  a 
different  tablecloth  and  got  out  my  pink  banded  china. 

I  could  hear  Tamer  and  Tirzah  talkin'  real  agreeable 
together  while  I  wuz  gittin'  my  dinner.  They  wuz  com- 
parin'  notes  about  their  sicknesses,  Tirzah  Ann  enjoys 
real  poor  health,  too,  some  of  the  time.  And  then  they 
seemed  to  be  comparin'  notes  about  their  children,  and 
the  right  way  to  bring  'em  up,  and  I  felt  bad  to  see  that 
Tamer  Ann  and  Tirzah  felt  so  much  alike  in  a  good 
many  things  about  their  children.  But  I  wuz  so  busy  I 
couldn't  interfere  and  take  part  in  their  talk  until  after 
dinner.  Truly,  when  a  man  is  splittin'  wood  in  the  rear 
of  the  house,  complainin'  of  faintness  at  the  stummick 
and  anxiously  watchin'  the  clock  and  mistrustin'  it  wuz 
slow,  and  wishin'  he  had  sot  it  with  the  gong,  etc.,  etc., 
it  behooves  a  woman  to  have  dinner  on  time,  if  she  loves 
tranquillity  and  domestic  peace. 

And  after  dinner  wuz  over  and  my  dishes  washed,  I 
washin'  and  Tirzah  Ann  wipin',  and  we  three  wimmen 
wuz  settin'  with  our  sewin'  and  knittin',  the  children 
bein'  out  in  the  yard  to  play,  then  when  the  conversation 
gradually  turned  round  onto  bringin'  up  children  and  its 
perils  and  perplexities,  I  put  in  my  oar,  too,  and  took  a 
part  in  the  meetin'  as  you  may  say.  Tirzah  had  had 
a  hard  time  the  Sunday  before,  she  had  taken  little  De- 
light to  church  and  had  a  trial  with  her  that  made  her 
feel  dretfully,  and  she  wuz  jest  beginnin'  to  tell  about 
it  when  she  wuz  interrupted  by  the  children  talkin'  right 
under  the  winder;  they  wuz  talkin'  so  earnest  about 
sunthin'  we  all  stopped  to  listen. 

Jack  wuz  speakin'  excited  and  interested,  sez  he, 
"  Don't  you  see,  Delight,  that  long,  low  cloud  that  is 


198  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

lay  in*  right  aginst  that  tree  top?  I  believe  if  we  should 
climb  up  that  tree  we  could  step  right  off  into  Heaven, 
and  I  wonder  if  the  Lord  would  be  glad  to  see  us  if  we 
should  walk  in." 

"  Of  course  He  would,"  sez  Delight.  "  He  would  come 
to  the  door  and  take  us  right  up  in  His  arms  and  say,  '  I 
am  glad  to  see  you.  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto 
me,*  that  is  what  Mama  told  me  He  said  about  children, 
and  I  learnt  it." 

But  at  this  juncter  Tirzah  Ann  rushed  to  the  winder 
and  hollered  to  Delight  and  told  her  to  stop  instantly, 
and  Tamer  Ann  follered  right  on  and  told  Jack  to  not 
let  her  hear  any  more  such  talk.  And  the  children 
crep  off  into  another  part  of  the  dooryard,  lookin'  crest- 
fallen and  wonderin'  what  they  had  said  now  that  wuz 
wrong.  And,  after  they  wuz  out  of  hearin',  I  sez,  "  Why 
did  you  tell  your  children  you  would  punish  'em  for 
sayin'  what  they  did?  " 

Sez  Tamer,  "  I  won't  have  Jack  show  irreverence,  and 
I'll  whip  him  if  he  duz."  And  Tirzah  Ann  sez,  "  I  will 
not  allow  Delight  to  talk  in  that  way." 

Sez  I,  "  Tirzah  Ann,  ever  sence  she  wuz  a  baby  you 
have  made  little  Delight  pray  to  God,  you  have  learnt 
her  He  wuz  her  best  friend,  you  made  her  learn  that 
beautiful  verse  she  repeated,  and  now  what  irreverence 
wuz  there  in  thinking  that  God  would  be  glad  to  see  'em 
if  they  went  to  Heaven,  when  you  have  learned  her  to 
love  God  and  go  to  Him  with  all  her  little  troubles  and 
temptations?  " 

"  What  is  proper  to  say  at  prayer  time  hain't  proper 
to  say  at  other  times, ' '  sez  Tirzah,  and  sez  Tamer, ' '  Yes, 
that  is  so." 

But  I  sez  solemnly,  "  Tirzah  Ann  and  Tamer,  that  is 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  199 

a  great  mistake;  you  try  for  half  an  hour  each  day  to 
make  your  children  the  inmates  of  another  world,  sur- 
rounded by  different  beings  and  circumstances.  Now, 
that  hain't  so,  God  is  with  Jack  and  Delight  at  this  min- 
ute out  there  in  the  playground,  jest  as  nigh  as  He  is 
when  they  are  kneelin'  at  your  four  feet,  and  in  my  opin- 
ion they  ought  to  be  learnt  that  is  the  case,  and  what  is 
proper  for  them  to  think  of  God  at  one  time  is  proper  at 
another. 

1 1  Now,  in  my  opinion,  God  would  be  glad  to  see  them 
innocent  little  children  step  into  Heaven  off  from  that 
cloud,  if  they  could,  and  my  way  would  have  been  to 
told  them  that  God  would  be  glad  to  see  'em  at  any  time, 
and  that  He  did  see  'em,  that  He  wuz  with  'em  at  prayer 
time  and  play  time,  in  storm  and  shine,  and  wanted  'em 
to  be  good  little  children,  and  wuz  grieved  when  they 
wuz  naughty,  and  then  I  should  have  tried  to  explain  to 
'em  why  they  couldn't  step  off  from  that  cloud  into 
Heaven.  That  would  be  my  way,"  sez  I,  holdin'  up 
Josiah's  sock  and  tacklin'  it  in  a  new  place,  "  howsum- 
ever,"  sez  I  mildly,  seem'  Tirzah  Ann  and  Tamer  looked 
wrathy,  "  howsumever,  I  will  say  agin  it  is  easier  to 
tell  folks  how  to  bring  up  children  than  do  the  bringin' 
up,  or  be  satisfied  after  they're  brung." 

"  This  irreverence  in  talkin*  about  divine  things  is 
what  I  can't  and  won't  stand." 

"  Then,  Tirzah  Ann,"  sez  I,  "  you  should  bring  De- 
light up  in  a  different  way.  How  is  she  to  know  the 
Being  you  encourage  her  in  talkin'  to  one  minute  is  not 
to  be  mentioned  at  another?  Everything  in  the  world  is 
as  new  to  her  as  it  would  be  to  us  if  we  wuz  sot  down 
on  the  planet  Jupiter  to-day.  How  do  you  know  we 
should  have  first  class  Jupiter  ways?  I  don't  spoze  we 


200  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

should,  I  spoze  we  should  act  like  fools  and  lunaticks 
more'n  half  the  time  judged  by  Jupiter  standards.  De- 
light has  everything  to  learn,  you  teach  her  that  God  is 
her  best  friend,  more  than  father  and  mother,  is  with  her 
all  the  time,  and  yet  she  musn't  speak  of  Him  only  for  a 
few  minutes  night  and  morning.  Delight  can't  under- 
stand that,  Tirzah  Ann.  And  I  can't,  nuther,"  sez  I,  in 
a  milder  voice,  for  I  see  she  looked  mad.  "  Why,"  sez 
I,  "  when  Thomas  J.  wuz  little  he  used  to  talk  to  the 
Lord  by  the  hour,  tell  Him  all  his  little  troubles  and  sor- 
rows. I  would  hear  him,  but  never  interfered,  thinkin' 
He  wuz  a  better,  safer  friend  than  any  other  could  be." 

Sez  Tamer,  "  It  is  a  bad  habit  for  a  child  to  git  into, 
talkin*  so  familiar  with  the  Deity,  and  it  should  be 
stopped,  in  my  opinion." 

Sez  I,  "  You  let  Cicero  fill  his  mind  with  burglars  and 
pirates  all  day  long.  Isn't  the  Divine  One  a  better  in- 
mate for  the  soul  than  them  pirates  and  enchanted  ele- 
phants, Tamer  Ann?  " 

She  quailed  quite  a  good  deal,  and  I  sez,  "  Jack  is 
inclined  to  be  devout,  Tamer,  if  it  isn't  whipped  out  of 
him,  he  has  got  a  religious  mind." 

"  Eeligious  mind!  "  sez  she,  laughin'  in  a  onbelievin' 
way.  "  Hear  that!  that  sounds  religious,  don't  it?  " 
Jack  wuz  yellin'  pretty  middlin'  loud,  I'll  confess,  out 
under  the  maples.  But  I  sez,  "  I  don't  see  anything 
aginst  it  in  that,  Tamer.  I  presume  David  yelled  full 
as  loud,  or  louder,  when  he  wuz  a  child,  and  Job,  too. 
I  dare  presume  to  say  old  Miss  Job  had  her  hands  full 
with  him,  and  let  him  go  out  and  yell,  and  encouraged 
him  in  it  to  git  him  out  of  the  tent,  so  she  could  rest 
her  head  and  ears.  Yellin'  hain't  nothin'  criminal, 


Samantlia  on  Children's  Rights  201 

Tamer,  and  hain't  been  considered  so  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jonesville." 

"  Well,"  sez  Tirzah,  "  you  ought  to  been  to  church 
last  Sunday,  mother,  and  see  then  whether  you  would 
think  Delight  did  right;  I  declare  I  wuz  so  mortified  I 
wanted  to  sink  right  down  through  the  floor."  And. 
Tirzah  Ann  assayed  agin  to  tell  the  tale. 

But  as  before  we  hearn  the  voices  of  the  children  al- 
most under  the  winder,  and  what  of  all  the  world  do  you 
think  they  wuz  talkin'  about?  Why,  about  marryin', 
them  two  little  tots  lookin'  like  two  clothes-pins,  talkin' 
of  matrimony. 

Now,  marryin'  is  sunthin'  I  hate  dretfully  to  hear  chil- 
dren talkin'  about.  But  then,  come  to  reason  on  it,  Jack 
had  heard  it  talked  from  one  week's  end  to  another  at 
home,  though  I  don't  spoze  he  knew  what  it  meant  no 
more  than  a  Hottentot  understands  snow-shoes.  But 
he  heard  Tamer  argue  for  hours  and  hours  that  Anna 
should  not  marry  Tom  Willis  and  should  marry  Von 
Crank,  rehearsin'  the  reasons  why  she  should  marry  one 
and  not  marry  the  other.  How  wuz  Jack  to  know  that 
marriage  wuz  not  a  congenial  or  suitable  subject  for  old 
or  young?  Why,  she  talked  that  very  day  more  than 
an  hour  about  it  right  before  the  children.  It  wuz  no 
wonder  they  had  ketched  the  talk,  some  like  measles 
when  they're  round,  and  I  hearn  Jack  ask  Delight  who 
she  thought  she  would  marry. 

But  when  she  heard  the  word  * l  marry  ' '  Tamer  craned 
her  neck  out  of  the  winder  and  told  Jack  to  "  Stop  in- 
stantly! "  And  he  looked  up,  his  blue  eyes  half  shot  up, 
and  sez,  "  Stop  what?  " 

And  she  sez,  "  Stop  that  talk  about  marryin'!  " 


202  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

"  Why,  mother,  you  have  been  talkin'  about  it  all  the 
mornin'." 

But  Tamer  sez,  "  One  more  word  out  of  your  head, 
young  man,  like  that,  and  I  will  shet  you  up  in  a  dark 
room." 

They  wuz  kinder  still  for  a  minute,  and  I  knew  that 
the  mornin'  glory  eyes  wuz  shot  up  under  the  burnin' 
scorn  of  his  Ma's  axent,  and  then,  for  I  wuz  nighest  the 
winder,  I  hearn  Jack  say,  in  a  low  voice,  "  I  think  I 
shall  marry  your  grandmother,  Delight." 

I  felt  the  compliment  deeply,  to  think  I  wuz  the  first 
choice  of  that  innocent  heart.  But  it  seemed  even  at 
that  age  the  feminine  mind  wuz  more  educated  in  the 
suitability  of  marriage  than  the  more  opposite  sex.  De- 
light sez,  "  Oh,  you  tan't." 

"  Why  not?  "  sez  Jack,  impatient. 

"  Betause  she  is  too  old." 

"  Well,  then  I  shall  marry  father." 

"  Oh,  you  tan't,"  sez  Delight. 

"  Why?  " 

"  Betause  he  is  a  man." 

"  Well,  then  I  will  marry  you." 

"  Oh,  you  tan't!  " 

"  Why  not?" 

"  Betause  I  am  too  young  to  marry." 

And  then  Jack  sez,  impatient  and  loud, '  *  Well,  if  some 
are  too  young  and  some  too  old,  who  can  I  marry?  " 

And  Tamer  heard  that  last  word,  and  she  sprung  to 
the  winder  and  leaned  half  out  of  it,  and  sez,  "  If  you 
don't  stop  such  talk  instantly,  Jack,  I  will  call  that  bad 
man  round  the  corner  to  come  and  take  your  head  right 
off!  "  And  then  she  sez,  sinkin'  back  in  her  chair,  "  Oh, 
dear  me!  what  a  job  it  is  to  bring  up  children  right." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  203 

And  Tirzah  sez,  "  Yes,  indeed,  it  is,  now  last  Sunday 
in  church " 

But  Tamer,  bein'  so  full  and  runnin'  over  with  com- 
plaints about  Jack,  she  went  right  on  and  told  over  a 
dozen  of  his  little  tricks  and  ways,  kinder  cunnin'  I 
thought  some  on  'em,  but  she  and  Tirzah  thinkin'  'em 
dretful,  and  at  last,  though  I  am  very  close  mouthed  and 
seldom  speak,  I  did  say,  "  It  seems  to  me  you  ort  to  be 
more  patient  with  your  little  children,  for  they  are  learnt 
by  us  bigger  ones  to  do  most  everything  they  do,  and 
then  the  poor  little  creeters  get  whipped  for  it." 

' '  Well, ' '  sez  Tamer, '  *  I  would  like  to  know  who  learnt 
Jack  to  do  some  of  his  tricks,  what  would  you  do,"  sez 
she,  ' '  if  a  child  throwed  all  your  clothes  out  of  the  win- 
der—dresses, petticoats,  stockin's,  and  everything  when 
you  wuz  tryin'  to  dress?  And  poured  water  down  on 
folks  who  wuz  passin'  below.  Why,"  sez  she,  "  such 
strange  things  would  be  throwed  out  of  our  winders 
that  folks  would  inquire  what  kind  of  folks  lived  there. 
And  one  woman  that  he  spilte  a  bunnet  for  threatened  to 
sue  us;  of  course  that  wuz  some  time  ago,  when  we  lived 
in  town,  but  I  well  remember  it.  She  had  stopped  with 
another  woman  right  under  our  winder  for  a  few  minutes' 
quiet  and  peaceable  talk,  and  Jack  trickled  a  hull  cup 
of  water  down  onto  'em.  Their  bunnets  wuz  kinder  soft 
and  spongy,  and  took  up  the  water  for  a  spell,  but  when 
their  heads  begun  to  git  wet  they  investigated,  and  there 
Jack  wuz,  happy  as  a  king,  callin'  for  more  water,  his 
cup  had  gin  out— how  would  you  like  that?  And  while 
you  wuz  tryin'  to  dress  have  all  your  clothes  throwed 
down  into  the  street,  and  you  can't  say  that  he  had  ever 
seen  us  do  that." 

"  I  shouldn't  like  it,"  sez  I  mildly;  "but  how  old  wuz 
Jack  when  he  did  this?  " 


204  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

11  It  wuz  the  winter  we  lived  in  Jonesville:  Jack  wuz 
about  three." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  you  ort  to  make  Jack  stop  such 
works.  I  am  fur  from  wantin'  folks  throwed  out  or 
poured  down  on.  But  I  don't  spoze  Jack  knew  the  mis- 
chief he  wuz  doin'.  How  did  he  know  the  effect  of  water 
on  artifical  flowers?  Or  the  trouble  it  would  be  to  go  out 
and  pick  up  your  clothes?  I  remember  jest  before  that, 
when  I  wuz  visitin'  you,  Hamen  would  throw  things 
down  on  the  floor  and  out  of  the  winder  a  purpose  for 
Jack  to  go  out  and  pick  up,  and  he  kep'  it  up  more  than 
I  should  in  his  place.  It  tickled  Jack,  and  Jack  would 
throw  things  down  on  the  floor,  and  Hamen  would  pick 
'em  up,  and  Jack  would  giggle.  And  many  is  the  time 
I've  seen  Hamen  sprinkle  water  down  onto  Jack's  curly 
head  to  see  him  duck  and  wink  to  git  away  from  it.  Jack 
wuz  only  follerin'  his  father's  example,  Tamer  Ann, 
though,  as  I  said  before,  I  don't  approve  on't  in  Jack, 
and  want  no  man  or  woman  throwed  out  or  poured 
down  on." 

"  Oh,  you  will  always  stand  up  for  Jack." 

"  I  stand  for  reason,"  sez  I  solemnly,  "and  justice 
and  common  sense.  In  ninety  cases  out  of  a  hundred 
folks  whip  their  children  for  what  they  or  somebody  else 
has  learnt  'em  to  do." 

And  then  Tirzah  Ann  spoke  up  again,  kinder  firm  and 
decided  as  if  she  wuz  determined  now  to  finish  her  tale. 
"  Last  Sunday  in  church  I  wuz  so  mortified  with  De- 
light's doin's  I  thought  I  should  sink.  We  took  her  to 
meetin '  and  there  wuz  a  boy  there  a  few  years  older  than 
she,  and  he  kep'  tormentin'  her,  pullin'  her  hair  in  a  sly 
way,  and  pinchin'  her,  and  at  last  he  stuck  a  pin  into 
her,  and  then  what  should  Delight  do  all  of  a  sudden 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  205 

but  kneel  right  down  in  the  aisle— she  wuz  next  to  the 
pew  door— and  right  while  the  minister  wuz  talkin', 
prayed  loud  for  the  Lord  to  stop  that  boy  that  wuz 
plaguin'  her,  and,  sez  she,  '  if  he  won't  stop,  dear  Lord, 
kill  him.'  I  thought  I  should  die  with  shame,  and  you 
can't  say  you  ever  heard  Whitfield  or  me  pray  to  have 
anybody  killed." 

"  No,  Tirzah  Ann,  nobody  ever  heard  that  from  you 
or  Whitfield;  but,"  sez  I,  "  do  you  remember  what  part 
of  the  Bible  you  are  reading  now  at  mornin'  prayers?  " 

' '  It  is  the  Old  Testament, ' '  sez  she. 

"  Well,  them  old  prophets  used  to  git  awful  mad  at 
their  enemies  and  pray  for  the  Lord  to  smite  'em  hip  and 
thigh,  and  kill  'em,  etc.  Of  course  Delight  heard  you 
read,  she  always  listens  to  everything  she  hears,  and  I 
spoze  she  thought  if  that  wuz  Bible  talk  it  wuz  good 
enough  for  her." 

"  Well,  what  can  we  do,  mother?  "  sez  Tirzah.  "  You 
know  we  are  reading  it  through  by  course,  and  we  want 
to  read  every  word  of  it  or  it  won't  be  by  course." 

* '  Of  course  not, ' '  sez  I. 

"  But  is  there  any  decree  or  law  of  Providence  com- 
pellin'  you  to  read  the  Bible  by  course  at  family  pray- 
ers? The  Bible  is  a  precious  mine  of  riches  where  each 
can  get  the  wealth  he  or  she  needs  and  desires,  but,  as 
in  the  case  of  other  mines  where  gold  and  jewels  are 
found,  there  is  some  earth,  some  alloy  with  it.  You 
wouldn  't  mount  a  slate  stun  and  wear  -it  on  your  bosom 
because  it  wuz  found  side  by  side  with  a  diamond.  In 
my  opinion  lots  of  the  talk  in  the  Old  Testament,  the 
breathin'  of  vengeance  and  slaughter  and  rapine,  etc., 
is  not  exactly  the  food  to  bring  up  young  children  on." 


206  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

11  But  we  wuz  readin'  it  by  course,  mother,  we  had  to 
read  the  whole  thing." 

"  "Well,"  sez  I,  "  that  hain't  the  way  Nater  duz  when 
she  sets  out  to  make  a  white  lily:  she  takes  from  rich 
Mother  Earth  all  the  qualities  necessary  to  make  a  lily, 
she  selects  what  will  make  the  dainty  whiteness,  the  de- 
licious fragrance  of  the  flower;  she  don't  take  the  black- 
ness of  the  soil,  the  dinginess  and  dirt.  No,  out  of  the 
rich  storehouse  she  selects  the  best,  what  she  needs. 
Now,  the  Bible  is  so  full,  Tirzah  Ann,  of  all  wisdom, 
divine  knowledge,  tenderest  love,  and  divine  pity,  full 
of  the  glory  of  the  Great  Father  of  us  all,  why  can't 
you  select  out  of  it  what  you  and  your  children  need 
instead  of  settin'  up  that  puny  reason  of  readin'  it  by 
course,  and  gettin'  by  that  process  all  the  earth  of  the 
human  natures  through  which  God's  inspiration  is  fil- 
tered down  into  our  comprehension?  You  don't  need 
all  that  talk  about  slaughter  and  vengeance,  nor  genea- 
logies, etc.,  though  I  have  seen  folks  read  'em  right 
through  at  family  prayer,  Johab  begat  Ehod,  and  Ehod 
begat  Ichabod,  and  etc.  They  had  to  be  begot,  of  course, 
'twas  necessary  to  be;  but  I  could  never  git  any  good  or 
inspiration  out  of  readin'  'em  in  the  mornin'  as  food 
for  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  day.  Howsumever,  I  wuz 
never  one  to  set  up  my  way  as  the  only  way,  but  I  will 
say  that  after  Delight  heard  you  read  about  it  she  might 
have  thought  she  would  foller  the  example  of  them  old 
patriarchs  with  her  enemies,  for  I  do  spoze  the  prickin' 
and  jerkin'  of  the  little  torment  made  her  feel  that  he 
wuz  her  enemy.  And,  anyway,  if  them  old  prophets 
are  held  innocent  for  talkin'  in  this  way,  with  the  ex- 
perience of  a  lifetime  and  the  inspiration  of  the  Lord 
to  lead  'em,  what  do  you  think  of  a  little  child  like  De- 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  207 

light?  Not  that  I  approve  on't  in  her,  nor  in  them 
either,  and  I  don't  believe  the  Lord  had  much  to  do  with 
such  sanguinary  desires,  nor  I  don't  believe  the  Lord 
wants  you  to  read  about  it  to  the  children." 

"  Well,"  sez  Tirzah  Ann,  "  I  wuz  mortified  most  to 
death.  And  once  in  the  parlor,  full  of  company,  a  hard 
thunderstorm  came  up,  and  Delight  wuz  awfully  fright- 
ened, and  she  knelt  right  down  and  prayed  for  the  Lord 
to  stop  that  thunder,  and  got  up  and  stamped  her  little 
foot  to  think  it  didn't  stop  to  the  very  minute,  and  hol- 
lered out,  '  Stop  it,  dear  Lord!  Stop  it  this  minute!  ' 
What  do  you  think  of  that?  " 

Sez  I,  "  I  think  of  that  as  I  do  of  other  human  cree- 
ters  who  are  scared  and  overthrown  with  the  sorrow  and 
pain  of  life.  They  pray  to  the  Lord  to  stop  their  agony, 
and  because  He  don't  stop  it  at  once  they  grow  impatient 
and  onbelievin',  and  mebby,  as  Miss  Job  did,  feel  to 
curse  God  and  die.  We  can't  wait  no  more  than  Delight 
did  for  the  storm  to  clear  the  sky;  we  don't  realize  no 
more  than  she  that  mebby  it  wuz  needed  to  cleanse 
the  air  from  impurities  and  make  us  appreciate  the  sun- 
shine and  calm  better.  No,  Delight  and  Jack  and  all 
the  rest  of  us  are  blind  creeters,  and  it  don't  do  for 
one  of  us  to  condemn  the  other  too  much." 

And  then  Tamer  went  on  to  tell  how  Jack  had  morti- 
fied her  when  she  took  him  on  a  visit  to  some  very 
stylish  people. 

That  very  forenoon,  so  Anna  told  me  afterwards, 
Tamer  had  whipped  Jack  because  she  mistrusted  he 
had  not  told  her  the  exact  truth— whipped  him  for  not 
bein'  open  and  candid. 

And  Tamer  had  warned  Jack  to  be  very  polite  at  the 


208  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

table,  to  eat  whatever  was  put  before  him,  and  make 
no  remarks  about  it. 

So  Jack,  I  suppose,  felt  he  had  done  his  full  duty, 
and  deserved  and  desired  credit,  when  he  leaned  back 
in  his  chair  and  said  he  had  finished  his  supper,  and 
added : 

"  I  have  done  just  what  you  told  me  to  do,  mother. 
I  have  eat  my  rossberrys,  worms  and  all,  and  said 
nothin'." 

"  I  thought,"  said  Tamer,  "  I  should  sink  through 
the  floor;  and  another  time  I  thought  I  should  expire 
with  shame.  Jack  had  been  to  Sunday-school  and 
the  teacher  "  (the  Born  Baptist)  "  made  him  sign  the 
pledge.  Jack  loved  sweet  cider,  and  I  wuz  afraid  he 
would  break  the  pledge,  he  wuz  so  little,  and  I  thought 
I  would  ruther  have  him  wait  till  he  got  older  and  could 
feel  the  importance  of  it,  and  I  told  Jack  I  would  have 
his  teacher  take  his  name  off  the  pledge.  And  that  very 
day  she  called,  and  I  told  her  I  thought  Jack  had  better 
wait  till  he  wuz  older,  and  she  turned  her  eyes  in  a  sol- 
emn way  to  Jack  and  said,  '  Jack,  do  you  want  to  take 
your  name  off  the  pledge?  ' 

"  *  Yes,  I  do,'  sez  Jack,  independent  as  anything. 

"  '  Do  you  want  to  drink  cider?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  I  do,  and  beer  and  brandy  and  whisky  and 
anything  else  I  can  git  to  drink.'  " 

Sez  Tamer,  "  I  could  cried,  I  felt  so,  and  that  woman 
looked  on  us  as  if  she  thought  we  wuz  heathens.  Hamen 
whipped  Jack  hard  for  that." 

Sez  I,  "  I  wouldn't  be  afraid  to  bet  a  cent  Hamen  and 
John  had  plagued  Jack  about  signin'  the  pledge  and  told 
him  he  couldn't  drink  any  more  beer  or  whisky,  thinkin' 
it  wuz  smart  and  cunnin'— didn't  they,  now?  " 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  209 

"  Well,  I  don't  know/'  sez  Tamer.  "  I  remember 
they  laughed  at  him  about  it." 

"  Yes,  and  mebby  laughed  away  more  than  they  bar- 
gained for,  Tamer  Ann  Smith !  ' '  sez  I.  "  It  is  a  solemn 
thing  to  bring  up  a  child,  and  a  solemner  one  to  whip 
him  for  what  we  learn  him  to  do." 

Sez  Tamer,  real  dignified,  "  I'll  tell  you  one  or  two 
more  scrapes  Jack  got  into,  and  if  you  want  to  lay  'em 
to  Hamen  and  me  you  can,  but  it  will  be  very  unjust, 
very.  It  wuz  when  Jack  wuz  three  or  four  years  old,  he 
wuz  out  play  in'  with  another  little  boy  of  the  same  age, 
little  Eddie  Grey,  and  Eddie  said,  about  four  in  the 
afternoon,  that  he  had  got  to  go  home,  for  his  mother 
wanted  to  give  him  a  bath,  and  Jack  wuz  lonesome  and 
wanted  him  to  stay  a  spell  longer,  but  Eddie  thought  he 
couldn't,  for  his  mother  would  be  waitin'. 

"  And  Jack  said  he  could  git  all  ready  for  the  bath 
there,  and  then  his  mother  wouldn't  have  to  take  up  her 
time  ondressin'  him.  So,  if  you'll  believe  it,  Jack  took 
off  all  the  clothes  from  that  boy  and  sent  him  home  bare 
naked  through  the  streets  with  his  clothes  in  a  little 
bundle  under  his  arm.  It  wuz  the  town's  talk." 

"  I  am  fur  from  thinkin',"  sez  I,  "  that  it  wuz  a 
proper  thing  to  do.  But  I  must  say  if  the  town  wuz  as 
innocent  as  Jack,  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  the  town, 
and  the  town  wouldn't  have  talked  as  much  about  it." 

It  wuz  a  real  hot  day,  and  as  we  sot  there  talkin* 
time  had  slipped  round  and  the  sun  with  it,  till  it  beat 
right  into  our  our  settin'-room  winder,  and  we  all  pres- 
peration  and  sweat,  and  Tamer  got  up  and  looked  in  the 
glass  and  sez,  "  Oh,  my!  how  I  do  look!  "  And  she  took 
out  a  little  pearl-mounted  box  from  her  pocket  with  some 
rice  powder  in  it  and  a  little  mite  of  a  puff  brush  and 


210  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

went  to  applyin'  it  to  her  heated  and  red  visage  as  she 
went  on  with  her  remarks. 

"  It  wuz  that  very  summer,  they  wuz  paintin'  the  roof 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  a  bright  red,  and  Jack  and 
Eddie  went  over  there  while  the  men  had  gone  home  to 
their  dinner,  and  they  painted  each  other  a  bright  red 
all  over,  their  hair  and  faces  and  hands  and  legs  all  a 
bright  solid  red,  and  on  their  clothes  they  put  the  paint 
in  stripes.  No  human  objects  outside  of  a  menagerie 
ever  looked  as  they  did  as  they  marched  home  through 
the  streets.  I  would  love  to  hear  you  say,  Samantha, 
that  you  ever  see  Hamen  or  me  cuttin'  up  such  tricks." 

"  Not  exactly,"  sez  I,  lookin'  pensively  at  her  paint 
box,  "  but  I  don't  spoze  the  little  creeters  knew  how 
dretfully  they  would  look  or  how  oncomfortable  and 
sticky  they  would  make  themselves  or  their  parents. ' ' 

"  Well,  I  know  Jack  got  a  good  whippin'  for  that 
scrape  after  we  had  scoured  him  off  with  turpentine  so 
we  could  whip  him." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  sithin*  deep,  "  there  is  lots  of  things 
that  we  have  to  learn  by  experience,  Tamer  Ann,  lots  of 
experiments  we  try  with  our  hearts,  our  lives,  our  feller 
creeters'  happiness  and  our  own.  We  dip  the  brush  in 
carelessly  that  is  to  leave  its  mark  on  us  for  life,  that 
no  turpentine  can  wash  out,  recklessly,  onheedingly, 
blindly,  we  make  the  fatal  marks,  blot  out  the  hull  of 
happiness  mebby,  with  the  wretched  fatality  of  igno- 
rance. And  we  git  whipped  for  it,"  sez  I,  "  whipped  by 
the  achin'  pain  in  our  hearts,  by  the  more  stingin'  pain 
of  seein'  some  one  we  love  suffer,  that  we  have  laid  the 
fatal  brush  on  with  our  own  hands.  We  are  all  blind 
creeters;  we  are  all  poor,  ignorant  children  sot  down  in 
a  new  world  and  another  mysterious  one  in  front  of  us, 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  211 

and  it  duz  become  us,  Tamer  and  Tirzah  Ann,  to  try  and 
be  patient  with  these  other  poor  little  blunderers,  whose 
mistakes  are  not  so  big  as  ourn,  because  the  consequences 
are  not  so  mighty.  Poor  little  creeters!  It  would  seem 
that  in  pity  for  our  own  mistakes  we  would  deal  char- 
itable with  'em." 

Jest  as  I  wuz  savin'  these  words  two  children  who  wuz 
boardin'  to  one  of  my  neighbor's  and  goin'  to  school, 
come  to  git  some  dime  novels  that  ffamer  had  promised 
to  bring  to  'em.  They  lived  only  a  little  ways  from 
Tamer's  when  they  wuz  to  home,  and  she  had  supplied 
'em  with  their  mental  nutriment  for  some  years.  They 
had  an  armful  they  had  read  and  got  another  armful  to 
carry  back,  for  Tamer  wuz  one  to  keep  her  promise,  and 
she  had  told  'em  she  would  bring  some  every  time  she 
came  here  visitin.'  And  they  took  'em  with  deep  de- 
light, and  couldn't  hardly  wait  till  they  got  out  of  the 
house  before  they  commenced  to  devour  'em.  They  wuz 
as  blood-curdlin'  and  soul-harrowin'  as  any  I  ever  see, 
and  I  felt  as  if  I  should  sink  to  see  youthful  mind  hunger 
fed  on  such  pizen  stuff.  They  wuz  about  fourteen  and 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  the  girl  wuz  as  pretty  as  a  pink, 
but  beginnin'  to  put  on  airs  and  act  like  a  heroine.  The 
boy  looked  ruther  rough,  some  like  Cicero,  and  I  knew 
he  wuz  tryin'  to  give  himself  that  hauty,  overbearin', 
reckless  air  that  the  heroes  all  had  in  these  novels. 

After  they  had  gone  with  their  books  I  argued  with 
Tamer  Ann  about  lendin'  such  trash  to  children,  but  she 
said  it  would  do  'em  good— it  would  give  'em  a  taste  for 
readin'. 

But  my  last  words  to  her  before  I  left  the  room  and 
went  out  to  hang  on  the  tea  kettle  wuz: 

"  Time  will  tell." 


CHAPTEE  XV. 

[AMEE  and  Jack  stayed  all  night,  and  the 
next  day  but  one  we  wuz  all  to  meet  at 
Thomas  Jefferson's,  and  then  she  wuz  goin' 
home  and  leave  Jack  with  me  for  a  week 
or  so.  The  prospect  wuz  very  pleasin'  to 
Jack  and  me,  and  to  Delight,  for  she  wuz  going  to  stay 
too.  The  next  day,  bein'  we  wuz  alone  together,  except 
the  children,  it  seemed  as  if  Tamer  wuz  just  crazy  to 
onburden  her  heart  to  me  about  her  trouble  in  makin' 
Anne  listen  to  what  she  called  reason  and  marry  Von 
Crank,  and  the  ingratitude  of  a  child's  disobeyin'  her 
parents,  and  the  imprudence  and  recklessness  of  her  love 
for  a  poor  young  man.  And  of  course,  seein'  she  wuz  a 
visitor,  I  had  to  set  and  hear  the  talk  dribble  on.  Why, 
the  idee  of  punishin'  Jack  for  talkin'  about  marriage 
when  he  didn't  hear  anything  else  when  he  wuz  in  the 
house. 

I  let  it  go  on,  thinkin'  I  had  said  all  I  could  on  the 
subject.  But  at  last,  for  wimmen's  patience  can't  hold 
out  only  jest  so  long,  she  promulgated  the  idee  that  she 
thought  that  she  should  send  Anne  to  the  Convent  of  the 
Holy  Heart;  sez  she,  "  She  can  learn  some  accomplish- 
ments there  of  the  Sisters  that  she  can't  anywhere  else. 
But,"  sez  she  confidentially,  "  the  real  reason  I  am  doing 
it  is  to  separate  her  from  Tom  Willis,  for  if  I  could  once 
git  her  mind  off  from  him  I  believe  I  could  make  her 
marry  the  man  I  want  her  to." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  213 

Sez  I  coolly,  *  *  I  would  choose  a  place  with  some  other 
name." 

"  What  do  you  mean?  "  sez  she. 

Sez  I,  "  I  would  never  choose  a  place  called  the  Holy 
Heart  for  such  a  heartless  affair  as  you  are  goin'  into." 

"  Heartless?  "  sez  she. 

"  Yes,"  sez  I  calmly,  turnin'  Josiah's  second  best  vest 
over  and  attacktin'  it  on  the  other  side  (I  wuz  patchin' 
it),  "  under  the  shadow  of  the  Holy  Heart  with  His 
name  printed  above  you  you  want  to  desecrate  and  rav- 
age a  heart,  sell  a  heart.  There  wuz  a  time  when  your 
child's  heart  wuz  a  smooth,  ontroubled  place,  a  page 
with  nothin'  writ  down  on  it  but  domestic  names  and  at- 
tachments. Then  wuz  the  time  for  you  to  have  guarded 
that  white,  still  place.  If  you  hadn't  wanted  Tom  Willis 
to  write  his  name  there  on  the  virgin  whiteness  of  that 
heart  why  did  you  let  'em  be  together  day  by  day  and 
year  in  and  year  out?  You  kep'  still,  readin'  your  dime 
novels  and  discoverin'  your  new  diseases,  of  which  I 
dare  say  you  have  a  variety,"  sez  I  (for  I  see  she  looked 
mad),  "  you  kep'  still  and  never  said  a  word  of  warnin' 
or  command,  or  disapproval,  left  them  two  young  hearts 
jest  prepared  for  their  images  to  be  photographed  on 
each  other  by  the  divine  photography  of  the  Sun  of  Love, 
and  now  when  their  images  are  stamped  so  full  and  on- 
fadingly  that  no  earthly  hand  can  rub  'em  out,  now  you 
complain  of  the  imprudence  of  young  people,  the  reck- 
lessness with  which  they  form  attachments  and  the 
wickedness  of  it. 

* '  But,  Tamer  Ann  Smith,  I  tell  you  now  that  what  you 
call  the  imprudence  and  recklessness  in  not  in  Anna,  but 
in  her  gardeens.  Her  gardeens  that  didn't  watch  her 
young  heart,  her  young,  careless,  springlike,  girlish  life, 


214  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

that  wuz  bound  to  burst  into  bloom  when  the  sun  shone 
on  it.  It  wuz  in  your  power  mebby  early  in  the  mornin' 
to  have  picked  out  the  light  for  her,  selected  the  sun,  but 
after  it  is  once  riz  and  set  the  world  to  bloomin'  you 
can't  do  it,  you  can't  stop  the  divine  freshness,  the  bird's 
song,  the  sadness,  the  glory,  the  pathos,  and  the  power, 
the  light  that  never  wuz  on  sea  or  shore,  you  can't  put 
up  any  umbrell  to  shet  off  that  light,  and  so  I  give  you 
warnin'." 

Sez  she,  "  I  will  do  it.  Anna  shall  never  marry  Tom 
Willis." 

"  You've  started  late  in  the  day  to  hender  it." 

"  I  will  hender  it,"  sez  she. 

"  Well,"  sez  I  calmly,  "  time  will  tell."  And  to  turn 
the  subject  round  and  please  her  at  the  same  time,  I 
sez,  "  How  duz  your  basler  mangetus  seem  to  be  to-day, 
and  your  sinevetus?  " 

But  she  wuzn't  to  be  turned  round  even  by  her  favorite 
subject.  Sez  she,  "  You  like  Tom  Willis,  and  you 
know  it." 

Sez  I,  "  I  hain't  disputed  it." 

"  I  believe  you  encourage  Anna  in  thinkin'  of  him." 

"  Not  a  word  has  Anna  heard  me  speak  either  for  or 
aginst.  There  wuzn't  any  need  on't,"  sez  I;  "  it  would 
be  too  late  for  me  to  begin  if  I  wanted  to.  No,  I  am 
simply  settin'  still  and  seein'  things  and  circumstances 
pass  before  me,  some  as  if  I  wuz  settin'  on  a  bench  at 
a  circus." 

"  If  you  wuz  Anna's  true  friend  and  mine,  if  you 
acted  as  a  blood  cousin  ort  to,  you  would  talk  to  Anna 
and  try  to  make  her  listen  to  reason." 

"  No,  I  thank  you,  Tamer  Ann;  there  is  sunthin'  now 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  215 

in  her  heart  that  is  bey  end  reason,  as  fur  above  and  be- 
yend  it  as  the  stars  are  above  the  earth." 

"  If  you  did  your  duty,  Josiah  Allen's  wife,  you  would 
tell  her  to  obey  her  mother  and  marry  the  man  her 
mother  approves  of,  that  her  mother's  superior  wisdom 
and  experience  teaches  her  is  the  best  fitted  to  insure 
her  child's  happiness." 

*  *  No,  Tamer  Ann  Smith,  I  make  no  matches  nor  break 
none,  and  if  I  wuz  goin'  to  advise  Anna,  which  I  hain't, 
I  shouldn't  be  liable  to  advise  her  to  give  up  all  the 
beauty  and  romance  and  happiness  of  life  for  the  sake  of 
settin'  down  under  the  shade  of  a  family  tree  and  let 
it  shade  me  alongside  that  walkin'  mummy,  Von  Crank." 

"  One  of  the  oldest  and  most  aristocratick  families  in 
the  State.  You  ought  to  take  it  as  a  great  honor  that  he 
felt  willin'  to  connect  himself  with  the  Smith  family 
at  all." 

I  see  we  couldn't  agree,  and  I  sez,  "  Tamer  Ann,  you 
will  agitate  yourself  so  your  baslar  mangetis  will  be 
worse— man-get-us,"  sez  I  thoughtfully;  "  if  that  wuz 
only  a  contagious  disease  I  know  lots  of  single  wimmen 
who  would  love  to  have  it  prevail."  But  my  friendly 
joke  didn't  turn  her  mind  round  as  I  meant  it  should; 
no,  she  went  on  bitterly: 

"  To  think  Tom  Willis  should  think  of  marryin'  Anna, 
and  his  father  only  a  common  carpenter." 

"  Well,  Tamer  Ann,"  sez  I,  "we  kneel  every  day  of 
our  life  and  worship  One  who  wuz  called  that. 

"  Tom  Willis,"  sez  I,  "  has  got  the  wealth  and  dis- 
tinction in  himself  instead  of  havin'  to  put  on  a  pair  of 
magnifyin'  specks  and  try  to  trace  it  back  to  some  re- 
mote ancestor,  who  mebby  had  a  spark  or  two  of  it. 
You'll  find  it  right  here  in  him,  and  I  think  it  is  better 


216  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

to  have  the  nobility  where  you  can  put  your  hand  on  it 
in  a  handsome  young  form  than  to  be  chasin'  back  for 
it  up  a  family  tree,  climbin'  up  mouldy  old  branches, 
follerin'  rotten,  decayin'  old  limbs,  and  some  sound 
ones,"  sez  I,  reasonable;  "  but,  anyway,  nobility  a  cen- 
tury or  so  old  seems  sort  o'  shadowy  and  spectral,  and 
don't  impress  me  so  much  as  it  duz  while  it  is  right  be- 
fore me,  strugglin'  on  through  disappointments  and  pain, 
tryin'  to  reach  the  high  prizes  of  success  and  Anna— 
or,  I  mean,  happiness." 

She  tossted  her  head  real  kinder  disdainful,  but  I 
went  on,  for  I  begun  to  feel  eloquent :  "  It  is  so  difficult 
to  know  a  hero  when  you  see  him  right  before  your 
face  and  eyes.  It  is  easy  now,  after  everything  is  passed, 
to  open  your  encyclopedia  and  read  the  names  of  Co- 
lumbus, and  Washington,  and  Newton,  and  Luther,  etc. 
But  the  time  wuz  whe$  Columbus  walked  the  streets  un- 
known, all  the  fire  of  genius,  the  passion  of  the  dis- 
coverer must  have  looked  out  of  his  sad  eyes  onto  the 
onsympathetic  faces  of  the  crowd;  it  wuz  all  hidden  in 
his  soul.  His  .ears  heard  the  swash  of  new  seas  breakin* 
on  onknown  shores,  his  eyes  saw  the  tall  mountains  of 
a  grander  continent  risin'  through  the  mists,  but  them 
around  couldn't  see  it,  they  wuz  down  there  in  the  mists 
and  stayed  there. ,  The  discoverer  of  a  new  world  walked 
homeless  and  friendless  through  the  streets.  He  couldn't 
carry  them  cold,  blind  eyes  into  the  glorious  possibilities 
of  the  future.  No,  the  poor  blind  eyes  looked  scornful 
at  him  and  laughed  at  his  hopes.  The  great  philosophers 
and  inventors  who  apprehended  what  they  couldn't 
comprehend;  who  looked  through  the  summer  skies 
cleft  by  the  fall  of  an  apple  and  saw  great  systems  of 
philosophy;  who  saw  by  the  steam  of  a  tea  kettle  a  whole 


'Samantha  on  Children's  "Rights  217 

world  bound  together  by  swift-rollin'  wheels  of  lightnin' 
speed;  who  saw  through  the  child's  kite  the  continents 
talkin'  together— their  rapt  eyes  saw  all  these  glorious 
possibilities  and  wuz  derided  for  it  and  called  idiots  by 
them  who  looked  down  on  'em  and  told  'em  it  wuz  folly, 
idiocy  of  the  deepest  degree  to  see  anything  in  the  fallin' 
apple  beyond  the  possibility  of  a  pie.  This  is  the  same 
kind  of  worldly  common  sense  that  makes  us  onmindful 
every  day  of  our  life  of  the  presence  of  real  heroes  in 
our  midst  who,  manly,  honest,  and  God-fearin',  are  tryin' 
to  vanquish  the  ills  of  life  and  conquer  success." 

"  I  spoze  you  think  Tom  Willis  is  one  of  them  heroes," 
sez  Tamer  coldly,  cold  as  a  ice-suckle. 

"  Yes,  seein'  you've  asked,  I'll  tell  you  plain  I  do 
think  so,  and  I  lay  out  to  look  on  him  now  with  the  same 
pair  of  eyes  I  would  when  he  got  his  name  writ  down 
on  the  pillow  of  fame;  he  needs  my  sympathy  now— he 
wouldn't  then,  if  I  wuz  livin'  to  give  it  to  him.  It  would 
be  a  good  thing  for  these  heroes  and  for  our  own  souls 
if  we  put  a  few  of  the  flowers  we  put  on  the  monuments 
of  dead  heroes  into  the  empty  hands,  the  poor,  tired, 
scarred  hands  of  our  live  heroes  to-day.  If  a  few  of  the 
smiles  and  hurrahs  we  keep  for  onanswerin'  eyes  and 
ears  was  spent  on  our  live  heroes  who  are  fightin'  life's 
battles  jest  as  General  Grant  fought  his,  straight  on  the 
line,  with  no  manoovers  or  false  movements,  straight- 
forward and  simple  and  manly " 

"  You  are  thinkin'  of  Tom  Willis  agin,"  sez  Tamer 
Ann  sarcastickally. 

"  Yes,  I  am,"  sez  I  firmly.  "  Tom  Willis  has  got 
genius,  perseverance,  good  common  sense  and  a  lovin' 
heart,  and  that  is  jest  the  stuff  heroes  are  made  of. 
Genius  alone  is  flighty  and  takes  a  man  offen  his  feet, 


218          Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

swingin'  him  up  above  the  housetops;  common  sense 
alone  is  too  heavy,  weightin'  a  chap  down;  but  take  both 
together,  with  perseverin'  industry  and  a  lovin'  heart, 
they  will  take  a  boy  right  straight  towards  a  monument, 
and  that  is  jest  where  Tom  Willis  is  goin'.  He  is  goin' 
away  from  the  jealous  eyes  and  persecutions  and  tribu- 
lations; whether  we  help  or  hender,  he  is  bound  for  a 
newer,  grander  country,  a  prosperous  future  where  he 
will  cast  anchor  bimeby;  his  sails  are  sot  for  it,  he  will 
git  to  it,  and  whether  he  carries  into  it  a  happy  or  a 
achin'  heart  depends  on  you,  Tamer  Ann  Smith." 

"  Oh,  shaw!  "  sez  she. 

Sez  I  mildly,  "  Shawin'  never  did  any  good  in  the  past, 
Tamer  Ann,  nor  I  have  no  reason  to  think  it  will  in  the 
future." 

Nor  any  hurt,  I  sez  to  myself  reasonable,  for  I  had 
faith  to  think  that  it  would  all  come  out  right  in  the  end, 
dark  as  it  looked  now,  for  Anna  wouldn't  marry  without 
her  ma's  consent,  and  it  looked  like  obtaining  sweet  milk 
from  a  soapstun  to  git  a  consent  from  Tamer  Ann.  But 
I  kep'  my  faith,  and  would  say  to  myself  time  and  agin, 
Hain't  it  as  big  as  a  mustard  seed?  Can't  I  git  up  faith 
as  big  as  a  pinhead?  I  ort  to,  and  then  I  would  try. 

That  very  day,  whilst  Tamer  and  I  wuz  visitin',  word 
come  that  her  mother  on  her  own  side  wuz  took  away 
with  a  fit  and  the  funeral  wuz  to  be  to  the  house  next 
day  but  one. 

Hamen's  wife  felt  quite  bad,  she  shed  a  number  of 
tears  that  I  see,  and  mebby  some  I  didn't  see,  I  shouldn't 
wonder,  for  a  mother  is  a  mother  as  long  as  her  skin  and 
bones  hold  her  heart.  Of  course  for  years  Ma  Bodley 
had  been  failin'  and  runnin'  down,  but  watched  over 
good  by  Tamer's  old  maid  sister,  Alzina. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  219 

She  wuzn't  quite  so  noble  a  Christian  old  maid  as  the 
one  who  took  care  of  Anna's  childhood,  but  she  wuz  a 
good,  faithful  creeter,  and  the  best  judge  of  mustard 
plasters  and  milk  porridge  I  ever  see— well,  she'd  han- 
dled 'em  enough  to  be  a  judge  of  'em.  Hamenses  wife 
went  right  on  to  her  old  home  with  the  man  who  come  to 
tell  the  news,  and  Josiah  and  I  told  her  we  would  come 
to  the  funeral.  It  wuz  goin'  to  be  to  the  house,  and  as 
their  house  wuz  liable  to  be  full  of  relations  I  told  her  to 
leave  Jack  and  I  would  bring  him  with  me. 

We  wuz  goin'  to  stop  and  leave  Delight  to  home  on 
the  way  to  the  funeral.  Well,  no  sooner  had  they  started 
off  than  Jack  tackled  me  about  the  funeral— what  fu- 
nerals wuz,  and  what  they  did  to  'em.  And  I  went  on 
and  explained  it  all  out  to  him  as  well  as  I  could,  and 
when  I  come  to  tell  him  about  the  hearse,  for  I  talked 
quite  diffuse,  partly  to  get  his  mind  off,  he  said  he 
should  ride  in  it. 

I  argued  with  him  for  a  spell,  but  he  stood  firm  to  the 
last  that  he  should  "  ride  in  that  hearse."  I  told  him  it 
wuz  for  his  poor  Grandma.  And  he  said  there  wuz 
room  enough  for  both;  she  had  always  divided  every- 
thing with  him.  And  he  cried  a  little— he  loved  his 
Grandma.  And  he  wanted  to  know  if  his  Grandma 
couldn't  talk  and  tell  him  about  dyin',  what  it  wuz.  He 
said  Grandma  would  always  answer  questions. 

And  I  sez,  "  Grandma  can't  answer  this  question, 
Jack."  And  then  I  tried  to  explain  it  to  him  as  well  as 
I  could  how  part  of  Grandma,  the  best  part,  her  life  and 
soul,  had  gone  up  into  heaven,  and  he  would  find  it  there 
some  day.  Tegus  wuz  the  questions  he  put  to  me,  but  I 
buckled  on  my  boddist  waist  of  duty  and  tried  to  answer 
'em,  and  he  went  to  bed  quite  clever. 


220  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

I  went  up  into  the  room  and  helped  him  ondress  and 
hearn  him  tell  his  prayers,  and  tucked  him  up  and  left 
him  with  a  warm  good-night  kiss  and  went  below  to  git 
Delight  ready  for  bed.  And,  oh,  how  sweet  she  did  look 
as  she  kne1A  in  her  little  white  nightgown,  her  dimpled 
hands  clasped  on  my  knee,  and  her  great,  big,  innocent 
eyes  lookin'  up  into  my  face  and  through  it,  searchin' 
for  the  Eternal  Good  she  was  addressin'!  I  wuz  waitin' 
to  hear  her  commence,  my  Josiah  lookin'  on  admirin'ly 
from  the  other  side  of  the  hearth.  When  all  of  a  sudden 
she  broke  out,  all  of  a  sudden  like,  and,  sez  she: 

"  Oh,  before  I  forgit  it,  Lord,  I  want  to  tell  you." 

Josiah,  made  a  horrified  exclamation  as  if  he  wuz 
shocked  beyond  all  account,  and  would  have  stopped  her. 
But  I  gin  him  a  warnin'  look  and  let  her  go  on.  "  Be- 
fore I  say  my  prayers,  dear  Lord,  I  want  to  tell  you  that 
I  wuz  a  selfish  little  girl  yesterday  morning,  and  I  want 
you  to  help  me;  I  want  you  to  help  me  special  to  be  a 
generous  little  girl,  and  I  will  help  you,  too,  or  mebby  I 
won't.*' 

Here  Josiah  fairly  throwed  up  his  hands  and  sez, 
"  Samantha  Allen,  this  is  goin'  too  fur;  I  won't  set  still 
and  see  irreverence  goin'  on  in  my  house.  She  must  not 
be  allowed  to  say  such  things.  I  speak  as  a  deacon,"  sez 
he,  lookin'  some  big.  And  it  wuz  to  think  on  a  dretful 
speech  to  make,  tellin'  the  Lord  that  mebby  she  would 
help  Him  and  mebby  she  wouldn't.  It  sounded  strange 
and  bad,  and  if  I  had  hushed  her  up  and  rebuked  her 
chillin'ly  we  should  always  thought  she  wuz  irreverent 
and  irreligious;  but  I  felt  that  there  wuz  sunthin'  to  the 
bottom  of  it  more  than  she  could  with  her  small  stock 
of  language  readily  make  known.  And  I  gin  my  pardner 


I    WENT    UP   INTO   THE    ROOM    AND    HELPED    HIM    ONDRES?,    AND   HEARN   HIM 
TELL   HIS   PRAYERS. 

Page  220. 


•Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  221 

a  deep  look  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Keep  still,  Josiah  Al- 
len," and  then  I  bent  over  Delight  and  sez: 

"  What  do  you  mean,  Delight,  by  sayin'  mebby  I 
won't?  That  don't  sound  jest  right,  sweetheart;  you 
know  you  are  talkin'  to  the  One  Highest  and  Best,  who 
made  you  and  keeps  you  alive  and  who  loves  you  better 
even  than  grandma  duz.  You  must  be  very  true  and 
lovin'  and  humble  when  you  talk  to  Him." 

"  Well,  that  is  what  I  mean.  If  I  told  a  wrong  story 
to  you  it  wouldn't  be  so  bad  as  if  I  told  it  to  God, 
would  it?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  know  that  it  would,"  sez  I  candidly. 

"  Well,  I  wuz  so  'fraid  I  would  tell  one  to  Him  if  I 
said  right  out  I  would  help  Him." 

And  I  sez  gently,  "  Tell  me  all  about  it,  Delight." 

"  Well,  yesterday  mornin'  I  took  the  biggest  pear  on 
the  table,  and  papa  said  I  wuz  gettin'  to  be  a  selfish  little 
girl,  and  he  felt  bad  about  it.  I  told  him  I  would  tell  the 
Lord  all  about  it,  and  I  guessed  He  would  make  me 
better.  I  said  I  would  ask  him  special  to,  and  I  would 
help  Him.  But  I  forgot  to  ask  Him  last  night,  and  I 
thought  mebby  I  would  forgit  and  do  something  jest  as 
bad,  and  that  would  be  tellin'  a  wrong  story  to  the  Lord, 
wouldn't  it?  And  so  I  thought  I  would  say  p'rhaps  I 
wouldn't,  so  He  wouldn't  be  sprized  if  I  forgot  and 
wuzn't  jest  good,  don't  you  see?  " 

"  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  Grandma  sees  jest  how  it  wuz,"  and  I 
cast  a  triumphant  look  onto  my  pardner,  but  he,  too, 
wuz  lookin'  perfectly  happy  and  contented,  and  so  De- 
light told  her  little  prayers,  "  Our  Father,"  and  "  Now 
I  lay  me,"  and  ended  up  with: 

"  God  bless  Papa  and  Mama,  and  Grandma  and  Grand- 
pa, and  Uncle  Tom  and  Aunt  Maggie,  and  little  Snow, 


222  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

and  don't  forgit,  please,  please,  please,  dear  Lord,  to 
make  me  good,  and  don't  let  me  forgit  it,  and  don't  let 
me  forgit  I  want  to  be  good  when  I  git  to  playin'  with 
Jack  and  he  plagues  me,  and  bless  Jack,  amen." 

And  I  took  her  in  my  arms  and  put  her  to  bed  after  I 
had  held  her  down  to  kiss  her  Grandpa,  bless  her  sweet 
face!  I  laid  her  in  her  little  crib  and  kissed  her  more'n 
a  dozen  times,  and  she  me;  and  when  I  went  back  into 
the  settin'  room  I  sez  to  Josiah,  "  If  there  wuz  ever  a 
deep  religious  prayer,  that  wuz." 

"  Yes,"  sez  he;  "  it  wuz  a  prayer  any  minister  might 
be  proud  on." 

"  To  think,"  sez  I,  "  of  her  bein'  so  conscientious,  so 
'fraid  of  lyin'  to  the  Lord;  and  think  of  all  the  long,  long 
vows  we  have  heard  to  meetin'  with  no  idee  they  would 
be  kep'  and  wuzn't  kep'." 

"  Yes,"  sez  he,  "  it  wuz  a  powerful  effort.  I  never 
see  the  beat  on't,  and  I've  been  deacon  goin*  on  twenty 
years." 

"  And  then,"  sez  I,  "  to  think  of  her  honesty  and  the 
depth  of  the  idee  of  wantin'  Him  to  help  her  not  to  forgit 
that  she  wanted  to  be  good  when  she  got  to  playin*  with 
Jack  and  he  plagued  her.  She  felt  how  different  it  wuz 
to  want  to  be  good  in  the  quiet  and  rest  of  prayer  time 
to  what  it  wuz  when  took  up  with  the  cares  of  the  day 
and  the  happiness  and  selfishness  of  playin'  with  Jack. 
She  wuz  afraid,  that  little  creeter  wuz,  that  she  would 
forgit  that  she  wanted  to  be  good  when  took  up  with  her 
playthings  or  when  he  wuz  plaguin'  her,  jest  as  we  be 
time  and  agin,  Josiah  Allen,  when  we  git  so  burdened 
with  the  cares  of  this  world  or  took  up  with  its  play- 
things that  we  most  forgit  that  we  want  to  be  good." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  223 

"  Yes,"  sez  Josiah,  "  I  hain't  heard  anything  more 
edifyin'  since  I  jined  the  meetin'  house." 

Josiah  Allen  is  very  sound,  and  what  I  admire  in  that 
man,  what  makes  him  so  different  from  most  grand- 
parents, is  that  he  hain't  blinded  at  all  by  his  love  for 
Delight;  he  sees  clear  just  how  fur  above  other  children 
she  is,  and  deep,  and  I  am  jest  so. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

[HE  next  mornin'  wuz  fair  and  pleasant,  and 
we  got  a  good,  early  start.  We  went  with 
the  democrat,  and  Jack  wuz  goin'  to  set 
between  us  after  we  left  Delight;  we  put 
in  her  little  wilier  chair  in  front,  and  Jack 
sot  in  that  till  we  left  her. 

I  had  put  on  my  second  best  black  alpaca  dress  and 
my  black  bunnet  that  I  had  mourned  for  Mother  Allen 
in;  it  wuz  jest  as  good  as  it  ever  wuz.  Mournin'  for  a 
mother-in-law  hain't  so  hard  on  clothes  as  mournin'  for 
your  own  parents.  It  wuz  real  fashionable  in  shape,  for 
you  know  fashions  come  round  agin  in  jest  about  so  long 
a  time,  and  I  had  kep'  this  in  a  bandbox  for  years  and 
years,  till,  lo  and  behold!  time,  that  had  rolled  round 
and  round,  had  rolled  this  right  into  fashion  agin.  It 
wuz  a  kind  of  poke,  but  not  too  pokey.  I  also  wore  my 
black  shawl  I  had  mourned  in,  jest  as  good  as  new,  the 
nap  not  took  off  a  mite.  I  didn't  wear  my  crape  veil, 
thinkin'  I  didn't  want  to  look  as  if  I  wuz  mournin'  too 
much,  but  I  wanted  to  be  jest  right  for  a  connection  of 
the  Bodleys  by  marriage. 

Josiah  acted  kinder  sot  about  dressin'  for  the  funeral. 
He  would  wear  his  pepper  and  salt  suit.  I  told  him  it 
didn't  look  half  so  well  as  black  at  a  funeral. 

"  Well,"  sez  he,  "  I  hain't  a-goin'  to  mourn  much." 

Sez  I,  "  You  could  jest  as  well  mourn  what  you  cal- 
culate to  in  a  black  suit  as  a  gray  one." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  225 

But,  no,  he  would  do  jest  as  he  wanted  to,  and  con- 
tended that  he  should  wear  it,  for  he  didn't  lay  out  to 
mourn  a  great  deal.  He  said  they  wuzn't  any  real  rela- 
tion to  us,  and  they  wuz  on  my  side  what  they  wuz,  and, 
sez  he,  "I  lay  out  to  wear  a  pale-blue  necktie." 

But  I  broke  that  up.  He  couldn't  find  it  at  the  last 
minute,  and  had  to  wear  a  black  one.  Jack  had  on  his 
little  blue  suit,  but  I  tied  a  black  ribbon  round  his  neck 
under  his  collar;  he  looked  good,  anyway.  We  left  De- 
light to  home  and  went  on,  with  Jack  settin'  between  us 
and  askin'  questions  most  all  the  time. 

We  got  to  the  house  about  half-past  ten— the  funeral 
wuz  at  eleven.  We  could  told  the  house  anyway,  there 
wuz  so  many  teams  standin'  round  the  door  and  in  front 
of  the  barn,  and  horses  hitched  all  along  the  fence,  and 
they  had  took  down  a  length  of  fence  by  the  orchard 
and  lots  of  teams  wuz  hitched  in  there.  There  wuz  top 
buggies,  one  or  two  autos,  democrats,  double  wagons  with 
chairs  in  'em  for  seats,  and  one  or  two  buckboards  and 
some  bicycles  leanin'  aginst  the  piazza  steps.  There  wuz 
lots  of  folks  present;  Grandma  Bodley  wuz  respected. 

We  went  through  the  front  door  into  the  big,  lone- 
some-lookin'  hall,  the  light  comin'  through  fanlights 
by  the  side  and  over  the  door  with  narrer  green  paper 
curtains  in  front  of  'em.  The  parlor  and  settin'  room 
wuz  to  each  side  of  the  hall,  and  to  the  end  of  it  wuz  a 
big,  old-fashioned  kitchen,  part  of  it  carpeted,  which 
they  used  for  a  winter  dining  room;  the  summer  kitchen 
wuz  back  on't.  The  chairs  wuz  all  put  in  the  parlor— 
where  the  body  wuz— for  the  family  to  set  on,  and  in  the 
settin'  room  and  kitchen  long  boards  wuz  put,  the  ends 
layin'  on  kags  and  sap  buckets.  And  the  neighbors  had 


226  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

filled  these  seats  full,  for  in  such  lonesome  neighbor- 
hoods a  funeral  is  about  the  only  break  in  the  monotony 
of  life,  and  they  are  attended  with  avidity. 

Jest  as  we  went  in  the  hall  Hamen  and  his  wife  come 
down  the  front  stairs.  She  wuz  dressed  in  deep  black 
from  head  to  foot,  and  had  a  long  crape  veil  she  had 
borrowed  for  the  occasion  over  her  face,  and  a  black- 
bordered  handkerchief.  She  looked  real  smart,  havin' 
forgot  herself  and  her  various  diseases  in  the  sad  excite- 
ment of  the  occasion.  Alzina  follered  her,  dressed  in  a 
dark  alpacky,  her  usual  dress  which  she  wore  whilst  she 
wuz  tuggin'  along  takin'  care  of  the  deceased  day  and 
night;  but  her  eyes  wuz  red  and  swelled  up  with  weepin', 
and  she  wuz  real  pale.  I  wuz  sorry  for  Alzina.  Anna 
and  Cicero  follered,  and  then  the  other  married  sister 
and  her  children,  and  then  Grandma  Bodley's  brother's 
family,  and  other  distant  relations.  I  laid  out  to  fall 
into  the  procession  long  to  the  last  of  it,  but  at  the  last 
minute  I  missed  Josiah,  and  found  him  in  the  settin' 
room  settin '  on  a  board  near  the  door,  and  I  whispered 
to  him  and  told  him  to  come  on  into  the  parlor. 

And  he  whispered  back,  "  I  told  you  I  wuzn't  goin'  to 
mourn  much,  and  I  hain't."  I  couldn't  move  him  no 
more  than  I  could  the  board  he  wuz  settin'  on.  But  for 
the  sake  of  decency  and  on  Jack's  account  I  went  into 
the  parlor  with  him,  but  I  sot  down  pretty  nigh  the  door 
so  as  to  compromise  between  my  partner  and  duty. 

Well,  the  sermon  wuz  pretty  long,  but  scriptural,  no 
doubt;  it  was  a  bashful  young  preacher,  and  his  first  fu- 
neral sermon,  almost  his  first  sermon  at  all;  and  then  I 
guess  the  singin'  onnerved  him— it  wuz  dretful.  The 
hymn  wuz  Grandma  Bodley's  favorite,  and  chose  by 
Alzina: 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  227 

"  There  is  a  calm  for  those  who  weep, 

A  rest  for  weary  pilgrims  found. 
They  calmly  lie  and  sweetly  sleep, 
Low  in  the  ground,  low  in  the  ground." 

But  all  the  while  they  wuz  singin'  I  kep'  on  thinkin* 
that  Grandma  Bodley  wuz  too  good  a  woman  and  too 
good  a  Christian  to  have  such  singin'  over  her.  It  sot 
all  the  mourners  off  to  cryin',  and  no  wonder.  They  had 
a  squeaky  old  melodeon  that  Tamer  learned  to  play  on 
when  she  wuz  a  child,  and  a  neighborin'  girl  that  played 
by  ear  played  on  it;  and  the  singers  bein'  picked  up 
that  day  as  they  come  in  from  different  townships,  they 
flatted  and  sharped  them  poor  hims  in  a  way  that  wuz 
perfectly  dretf ul ;  but  I  thought  to  myself,  poor  Grandma 
has  got  where  she  can't  hear  it,  and  this  word  come  right 
into  my  mind,  * '  Blessed  are  the  dead. ' ' 

Well,  there  bein'  no  regular  undertaker,  the  bashful 
young  minister,  after  the  last  him  wuz  sung,  give  a  no- 
tice that  wuz  dretful  mixed  up,  and  sounded  more  as  if 
he  had  invited  the  corpse  to  walk  round  and  view  the 
congregation  than  visey  versey.  A  way  wuz  cleared 
round  the  coffin,  and  the  folks  from  the  kitchin  all  filed 
in  first  and  walked  round  the  coffin  and  then  went  out 
through  the  parlor  bedroom  door  into  the  kitchen  and 
outdoors,  and  then  the  folks  in  the  settin'  room  did  the 
same,  and  then  the  mourners. 

Jack,  the  first  minute  he  got  a  chance,  squeezed  in  in 
front  of  all  the  rest  and  wouldn't  move  on.  Grandma 
Bodley  looked  calm  and  peaceful;  she  had  lived  a  Chris- 
tian and  died  one,  and  the  peace  of  God  wuz  wrote  down 
on  her  forward.  Her  lips  and  eyes  that  had  smiled  so 
many  times  on  less  happy  souls  wuz  closed  peaceful. 


228  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

Her  hands,  that  had  gin  blessin's  and  help  to  so  many 
emptier  hands,  wuz  folded,  and  she  looked  glad  to  be  at 
rest.  But  Jack  kep'  eyin'  her  so  with  such  a  strange, 
searchin'  look  it  made  me  feel  queer.  Grandma  looked 
so  peaceful  and  Jack  so  watchful  of  her  I  felt  curious 
and  couldn't  deny  it.  After  all  the  rest  had  gone  out  he 
kep'  up  that  same  stiddy  watchin',  and  he  not  sayin' 
anything,  nor  she  nuther. 

Well,  way  along  that  evenin'  when  we  had  got  back 
from  the  funeral,  for  I  told  Tamer  the  house  wuz  so  full 
I  would  take  Jack  home  with  me  agin,  and  after  we  had 
had  supper,  and  it  wuz  gittin'  along  most  bedtime,  Jack 
come  up  and  laid  his  head  aginst  my  shoulder  and  sez : 

"  Aunt  Samantha,  I  didn't  miss  anything." 

Sez  I,  "  What  do  you  mean,  Jack?  " 

"  I  wuz  on  the  lookout  to-day,  and  I  couldn't  see  that 
anything  wuz  gone.  You  know  you  said  part  of  grandma 
had  gone  to  Heaven,  and  I  kep'  a  good  watch  all  day, 
and  I  couldn't  see  but  what  she  wuz  all  there;  her  head 
wuz  there,  and  her  hands,  and  I  couldn  't  see  a  thing  wuz 
missin',  unless  it  wuz  her  tongue.  I  didn't  see  that,  but 
I  spozed  it  wuz  in  her  mouth,  she  most  always  kep'  it 
there,  and  I  can't  make  out  what  you  meant,  for  you 
always  are  shure  nuff;  you  don't  fool  anybody  as  most 
everybody  duz." 

And  then  I  had  to  go  all  over  the  ground  agin  and 
tried  to  be  patient,  and  bein'  on  a  solemn  and  grand 
subject,  onbeknown  to  myself  I  soared  a  little  and 
spoke  of  the  happy  angels  who  had  come  down  from 
their  blest  abode  to  take  dear  Grandma  home.  And  Jack 
interrupted  me  with  big  shinin'  eyes: 

"  Do  you  spoze  if  I  had  been  there  I  could  have  seen 
'em?  " 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  229 

"  No,  Jack,  I  am  afraid  not.  I  am  afraid  we  hain't 
good  enough." 

"  Don't  you  believe  if  I  wuz  dretful,  awful  good  I 
could  see  the  tip  end  of  one  of  'em?  "  And  here  he 
branched  off.  "  I  heard  mother  say  she  wuz  goin'  to 
carry  some  flowers  to  put  on  the  grave.  She  wuz  cryin' 
and  said  it  wuz  because  Grandma  loved  'em.  And  I 
want  to  take  over  a  little  mite  of  Bologna  sassige  and 
put  on  the  grave;  Grandma  loved  it;  she  said  she  loved 
it  better  than  most  anything,  and  I  do,  too.  Can't  I 
take  a  little  mite  over,  Aunt  Samantha?  " 

And  I  told  him,  "  No,  that  dear  Grandma  had  gone 
where  she  had  divine  food,  and  would  never  be  hungry 
agin;  she  had  everything  that  wuz  most  beautiful  and 
blessed." 

"  Well,  what  makes  mother  carry  the  flowers?  " 

And  I  sez,  "  It  will  make  your  mother  feel  better, 
Jack,  that's  all." 

"  Well,  it  would  make  me  feel  better  to  carry  the 
b'lona.  What's  the  difference?  "  And  I  sithed  and 
wuz  at  my  wits '  end  to  explain  the  difference  to  him,  and 
don't  spoze  I  did  after  all  my  outlay  of  breath,  and,  as 
Jack  said,  what  wuz  the  difference?  And  I  repeated  it 
to  myself  as  I  wuz  ondressin'  goin'  to  bed—"  What  wuz 
the  difference?  " 

And  Josiah  thought  I  wuz  talkin'  to  him,  and  sez, 
"  What?  There  hain't  any." 

And  I  replied  to  myself,  for  the  subject  hanted  me, 
"  But  it  would  be  a  town's  talk." 

And  Josiah  said,  "  What  of  it?  What  if  it  wuz?  The 
town  don't  know  everything."  And  he  wuz  half  asleep 
and  didn't  know  what  he  wuz  talkin'  and  disputin' 
about,  nor  I  nuther,  and  we  settin'  ourselves  up  and 


230  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

callin'  ourselves  smart.  Well,  though  it  is  like  hitchin' 
the  democrat  to  the  old  mare's  foretop  for  a  few  min- 
utes, I  spoze  I  might  as  well  tell  what  Jack  told  me 
atferwards  how  it  come  out.  He  couldn't  seem  to  give 
up  the  idee  of  carryin'  that  sassige,  and  next  time  he 
see  his  ma  carryin'  some  flowers  to  put  on  the  grave, 
posies,  too,  that  his  Grandma  couldn't  bear  the  smell  of 
when  she  wuz  alive,  said  they  made  her  sick  (she  never 
cared  much  for  flowers  of  any  kind,  wuz  dretful  practical 
and  had  cabbages  and  onions  growin'  right  up  to  the 
front  door),  but  Tamer  wuz  bound  to  carry  some,  think- 
in*  it  looked  well,  I  spoze,  and  agin  Jack  tackled  her 
about  the  sassige.  Sez  he,  "  Grandma  loved  it  better 
than  she  did  flowers  enough  sight,"  and  his  mother  told 
him  to  stop  such  talking  instantly." 

And  then  sez  Jack,  "  I  got  mad  and  told  her  I  would 
take  some,  and  then  mother  said  she  would  whip  me  if 
I  mentioned  the  subject  agin;  and  then  I  sez,  '  B'lona,  ' 
and  then  she  did  whip  me  hard.  Grandma  wouldn't 
have  done  it,"  sez  Jack,  "  and  I  loved  her,  and  I've 
heard  her  say  lots  of  times  that  children  ort  to  have 
their  rights,  and  I  can't  see  why  I  can't  carry  over  sun- 
thin'  to  lay  on  Grandma's  grave  jest  as  well  as  all  the 
rest.  I  would  love  to  carry  some  yarn,  she  wuz  always 
knittin'.  She  would  cry  if  she  got  out  of  yarn,  and  Ma 
knows  it,  and  I  wanted  to  carry  over  a  little  skein  of 
blue  and  white  yarn,  jest  the  color  she  loved  best,  but 
Ma  said  she  would  whip  me  if  I  took  a  inch  of  yarn 
there,  and  there  it  is.  I  can't  do  nothin'  I  want  to." 

And  Jack  whimpered  a  little,  and  I  sez  to  him  sooth- 
in'ly,  "  Never  mind,  Jack,.  Grandma  knows  you  love  her, 
and  she  loves  you  jest  as  well  as  she  ever  did,  and  bet- 
ter." And  I  spoze  I  talked  to  him  over  an  hour  on  the 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  231 

subject,  and  spozed  he  had  forgot  all  about  ornamentin* 
the  grave,  he  had  begun  to  look  considerable  bright, 
when  all  of  a  sudden  he  broke  out  real  confidential: 
"  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  if  I  took  over 
a  little  mite  of  cheese?  Grandma  wuz  dretful  fond  of 
sage  cheese." 

Oh,  dear  me!  I  had  to  go  all  over  the  hull  ground 
agin,  it  took  sights  of  patience  and  breath. 

But  to  reckon  backwards.  That  night  after  Grandma 
Bodley's  funeral  there  come  up  a  heavy  thunder  shower, 
and  I  hearn  Jack  call  out;  he  slept  out  of  our  room  in 
Delight's  little  crib  that  night,  and  I  got  up  and  went 
to  him  to  try  to  soothe  him,  and  I  sez: 

"  Jack,  are  you  afraid?  " 

His  head  wuz  way  down  under  the  bedclothes,  I  could 
only  see  the  ends  of  one  or  two  curly  locks,  and  I  sez 
agin,  still  more  soothin'ly: 

11  Can't  you  trust  the  hand,  Jack,  that  leads  you 
through  fair  days?  That  same  hand  is  leadin'  you 
through  storms,  Jack;  can't  you  trust  Him?  " 

And  Jack  answered  from  way  down  under  the  bed- 
clothes, ' '  I  am  trusting  Him  jest  as  hard  as  I  can,  Aunt 
Samantha,  and  I  am  most  skairt  to  death." 

Thinks  I  to  myself  how  much  like  old  believers  that 
is:  we  trust  the  Lord  jest  as  hard  as  we  can,  and  yet  oft- 
times  we  are  most  skairt  to  death 

"  When  any  waves  of  trouble  rise 
Acrost  our  peaceful  breasts." 

Well,  Hamen  and  Tamer  stopped  for  Jack  a  few  days 
after  that;  they  had  stayed  a  day  or  two  with  Alzina  to 
help  her  settle  things.  They  offered  her  a  home  with 
them,  so  Tamer  said,  and  she  thought  it  wuz  very  foolish 


232  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

and  onreasonable  in  her  to  stay  there  in  that  big  house 
all  alone  when  she  stood  ready  to  give  her  a  home  and 
do  everything  for  her.  And  I  told  her  I  presumed  Alzina 
would  ruther  be  independent. 

"  Independent,  Samantha  I  I  don't  know  what  you 
mean.  I  guess  my  sister  would  feel  independent  in  my 
house;  it  would  be  her  home  jest  as  much  as  it  is  mine. 
Of  course,  I  should  'nt  have  to  keep  a  girl  if  she  lived  with 
me,  for  I  know  she  would  want  to  take  hold  and  help  me; 
she  would  feel  better  for  it;  but  she  would  have  a  good 
home  and  some  one  to  take  care  of  her."  But,  thinkses 
I,  take  it  with  all  that  housework,  and  sinevetus  and 
basler  mengetus,  and  dime  novels  shadin'  the  back- 
ground, Alzina  wuz  wise  to  stay  under  her  own  hop  vine 
and  apple  tree,  but  I  didn't  say  any  more,  for  I  felt  it 
wuzn't  my  place. 

I  hated  to  have  Jack  go,  and  he  cried,  but  Tamer  said 
he  might  come  down  agin  before  long,  and  she  asked  me 
if  I  wouldn't  go  with  her  before  long  and  visit  with  her 
cousin  Celestine,  Uncle  Submit  Smith's  girl,  a  widder 
with  one  child,  who  wuz  home  on  a  visit.  And  I  told 
her  I  would  if  I  possibly  could. 


CHAPTER  XVH. 


OSIAH  had  to  go  to  Jonesville  that  afternoon 
after  necessaries,  and  I  sot  all  alone  in  my 
cheerful  kitchen  almost  lost  in  a  train  of 
pleasant  thoughts,  and  some  sort  o'  pensive 
ones,  and  at  the  same  time  windin'  a  skein 
of  blue-and- white  clouded  yarn  for  Josiah's  socks,  when 
I  hearn  a  little  rap  at  the  side  door  and  opened  it,  and 
see  to  my  surprise  Miss  Greene  Smythe's  black  coachman, 
Pompey,  who  handed  me  a  note  from  his  mistress,  sayin' 
she  wanted  me  to  answer  it,  so  I  told  him  to  come  in 
and  sot  him  a  chair.  He  stood  by  it,  twiddlin'  his  cap 
round  in  his  hands  and  hesitating  but  on  my  tellin'  him 
agin  to  set,  he  sot.  Sidled  down  into  the  chair,  settin' 
on  the  extreme  edge  of  it. 

And  I  took  out  my  readin'  specks  and  opened  the  note; 
it  wuz  big  and  square,  and  had  a  curious-lookin'  seal  on 
the  back,  with  some  strange  figgers  and  a  word  or  two 
on't,  but  it  didn't  seem  to  be  spelt  right;  I  couldn't  make 
out  what  it  meant;  it  wuz  sunthin'  like  this,  Astra  Castra 
Numan  luman. 

But  if  she  meant  anything  about  castor  oil  or  some- 
body by  the  name  of  Newman,  anybody  could  see  that 
there  wuzn't  any  spellin*  to  it.  But  then,  I  sez  to  myself 
as  I  read  it,  though  I  pity  such  a  speller,  let  me  not  be 
hauty  because  I  have  had  advantages  and  spelt  down 
the  school  repeatedly. 

So  I  opened  the  letter.    It  wuz  a  invitation  for  me  to 


234  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

attend  a  bazar  for  the  benefit  of  the  heathen  at  her 
boarding  place.  But,  good  land!  it  wuz  two  or  three 
weeks  off,  and  I  wondered  if  she  thought  it  would  take 
all  that  time  for  me  to  do  up  my  work  and  git  ready. 
I  thought  she  little  knew  my  faculty*  in  turnin '  off  work 
if  she  did.  But  then  I  meditated  mebby  she  thought  I 
would  have  to  fix  over  my  black  alpacky  dress,  or  bind 
my  flannel  petticoat;  anyway,  I  spozed  it  wuz  all  well 
enough. 

I  thought  I  would  try  to  go  if  I  could,  and  sot  down  to 
write  her  a  note,  and  thought  I  would  write  it  as  near 
like  hers  as  I  could,  spozin'  hers  wuz  in  the  height  of 
fashion.  But  on  runnin'  it  over  in  my  mind  whether  I 
could  go  or  not,  I  remembered  jest  in  the  nick  of  time 
that  wuz  just  about  the  time  our  old  hen  turkey  would 
come  off;  it  ort  to  come  off  the  day  before,  but  might 
hang  fire.  She  wuz  settin'  on  nineteen  eggs  under  the 
horse  barn,  and  I  wouldn't  run  the  chance  of  her  streak- 
in*  off  to  the  swamp  with  all  them  young  turkeys,  party 
or  no  party,  so,  as  I  didn't  want  her  to  git  up  no  false 
hopes,  I  wrote: 

"  Josiah  Allen's  wife  and  Josiah  presents  their  com- 
pliments to  Miss  Greene  Smythe,  and  they  will  be  happy 
to  visit  her  on  date  mentioned  if  their  old  hen  turkey 
hatches  at  the  time  it  ort  to,  and  they  spoze  it  will. 

"  Yours  truly, 
"  JOSIAH  ALLEN'S  WIFE." 

And  then,  as  I  see  she  had  put  in  a  lot  of  letters  on 
one  side  to  kinder  ornament  it  off,  "  B.  S.  V.  P." 

And  I  spoze  she  meant  Remember  Samantha— V— 
sunthin*  or  ruther  to  my  Pardner.  I  couldn't  make  out 
what  that  V  did  mean;  mebby  she  meant  to  hint  that  my 
pardner  wuz  voyalent  sometimes.  But,  good  land!  I 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  235 

thought  that  if  I  had  been  throwed  round  as  she  had  by 
companions,  I  wouldn't  go  to  hintin'  about  somebody 
else's  pardner;  but,  howsumever,,  I  don't  know  as  that 
wuz  what  she  did  mean;  but,  'tennyrate,  the  letters 
strung  out  so  did  look  kinder  noble,  and  I  thought  I 
would  put  on  more  than  she  did,  both  for  1'ooks  and 
meanin',  so  I  put  on  mine,  "  W.  C.  I.  T.  C.  0.  B." 

And,  bein'  one  that  means  to  be  square  and  aboveboard 
even  in  fashionable  correspondence,  I  put  on  in  a  post- 
script the  meanin'  of  the  letters—**  We'll  come  if  turkey 
comes  off  before." 

So,  fashion  and  duty  bein'  both  tended  to,  I  handed  the 
note  to  Pompey,  done  up  in  a  good,  large,  yeller  envelope, 
such  as  Josiah  uses  in  the  cheese  factory,  for  I  see  that 
fashion  demanded  a  larger  one  than  I  used  in  ordinary, 
and  then  I  went  into  the  pantry  and  brought  out  a  plate 
of  fried  cakes  and  cream  cheese  for  him,  and  he  seemed 
real  tickled;  he  knew  the  taste  of  my  fried  cakes,  for 
I  had  gin  him  some  before  when  he  had  been  down  on 
errents  for  Miss  Greene  Smythe,  and  after  he  had  eat 
the  cakes  and  cheese  up  to  the  last  crumb,  he  sot  there 
still  and  twiddled  his  tall  hat  in  his  hand  and  seemed 
to  be  wantin'  to  ask  me  sunthin*  but  wuz  afraid  to, 
and  finally,  to  relieve  his  misery,  which  wuz  evident,  I 
sez: 

**  Is  there  anything  else  you  wanted,  Pompey?  " 

And  then  it  all  come  out.  He  wanted  me  to  write  a 
letter  for  him  to  his  sweetheart  in  old  Virginia.  He  said 
they  wuz  engaged;  he  wuz  goin*  to  marry  her  when  he 
went  back  home,  and  he  had  lots  of  things  to  tell  her. 
He  apoligized  almost  abjectly  for  askin'  me  to  write, 
but  he  said  he  might  as  well  ask  the  Mornin*  Star  to 
write  for  him  as  either  of  his  ladies,  they  wuz  so  high 


236  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

and  mighty,  never  speaking'  to  him  only  to  order  him 
round. 

Well,  I  told  him  I  would  write  the  letter,  and  I  walked 
up  to  the  mantery  piece  agin  and  took  down  my  pen  and 
ink,  and  got  out  a  sheet  of  paper.  He  told  me  while  I 
wuz  makin'  my  preparations  that  he  couldn't  write  yet, 
but  he  said  proudly  he  could  read,  he  had  read  a  little 
book  all  though,  mighty  good  readin'  in  it,  too,  he  said. 

Well,  I  read  it  out  as  I  commenced  it,  "  Jonesville, 
July  17th,"  but  he  stopped  me  and  sez:  "  I  don't  want 
that  on,  anyway." 

Sez  I,  "  Why  not!  " 

"  Oh,  my  folks  won't  know  nothin'  about  Jonesville; 
begin  it  Chicago;  she's  got  a  brudder  dere." 

11  But  I  can't,  Pompey;  I  must  begin  it  where  you  are; 
it  isn't  proper  to  begin  it  Chicago." 

"  Well,  den,  c'mence  dat  lettah  Bermudy  Islands;  she's 
got  a  uncle  dar." 

"  Why,  I  can't.  You  don't  live  anywhere  nigh  Ber- 
muda Islands. ' ' 

"  Dat  makes  no  diffunce,  Miss  Allen;  I  want  dat  lettah 
from  somewheah  they  will  know  about.  She's  done  got 
folks  in  both  dem  places,  and  she'll  know  about  'em." 

Well,  I  couldn't  persuade  him  to  have  it  Jonesville,  so 
I  comprimised  on  New  York,  for,  think  ses  I,  it  is  in 
New  York,  and  it  won't  be  lyin',  anyway;  and  I  sez, 
"  Now,  Pompey,  what  shall  I  write?  " 

"  Begin  it,  'Strong  drink  is  ragin'.'  " 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  "  you  don't  want  that  in  a  letter." 

"  Yes,  I  do;  I  read  it  in  my  own  little  book.  She'll 
know  jest  how  high  learnt  I  am  when  she  sees  dat." 

Well,  thinkses  I,  it  is  good  readin'  anyhow,  so  I  put 
it  down.  And  he  went  on: 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  237 

"  At  de  las*  it  stingeth  like  a  laddah." 

But  I  jest  contended  on  that,  sez  I,  "  Why,  ladders 
can't  sting;  it  hain't  their  nater." 

Sez  he,  "  Dey  can,  for  my  book  sez  so." 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  "  how  can  anything  sting  that  hain't 
got  any  stingers?  " 

But  he  contended  till  I  wuz  wore  out  and  thought  I 
would  put  down  things  jest  as  he  told  me,  but  I  spelt 
it  onbeknown  to  him  a-d-d-e-r,  I  would.  That  letter  wuz 
the  moralist  letter  that  I  ever  see,  but  the  curiousest, 
every  word  of  it  wuz  took  from  the  school  book  he  had 
learnt  by  heart,  and  it  ended  up  with  "Go  to  the  ant, 
thou  sluggard. ' '  The  curiousest  love  letter  I  ever  see  or 
expect  to.  But  it  suited  Pompey,  and  if  a  bo,  black  or 
white,  is  suited  with  the  letter  he  sends  his  girl,  that  is 
all  that  can  be  expected  or  desired.  He  told  me  to  direct 

it  to 

"  Priscilla  Dinah  Bones, 

"  Ole  Foginnia." 

And  I  hope  it  got  there.  I  tried  hard  to  have  him  tell 
me  where  in  Virginia  Miss  Bones  lived. 

But  he  said  everybody  would  know  her,  ole  Foginnia 
wuz  the  place  she  lived  in,  and  he  wouldn't  direct  it 
anywhere  else. 

So  I  directed  it  Virginia,  but  I  left  off  the  Old,  I  would. 


CHAPTER 

ELL,  Tamer  and  I  had  it  all  planned  to  go  to 
Uncle  Submit 's  whilst  Celestine  wuz  there 
with  her  little  girl,  but  at  the  last  minute 
a  letter  come  from  Tamer  askin'  me  if  I 
wouldn't  come  there  and  visit  with  Celes- 
tine, as  she  had  concluded  to  invite  her  there  instead  of 
our  goin'  to  see  her.  There  wuz  some  views,  Tamer  said, 
about  their  house  that  Celestine  wanted  to  paint,  and  had 
jest  as  good  as  told  her  it  would  be  more  agreeable  for 
us  all  to  visit  there  than  at  Uncle  Submit 's.  "  Pretty 
cool  in  Celestina,"  sez  Tamer. 

She  always  put  on  the  "teeny,"  but,  good  land!  I 
didn't.  I  knew  she  wuz  named  Celestine  after  old  Aunt 
Celestine  Butterick.  I  wuzn't  goin'  to  add  or  diminish 
from  that  good  old  creeter's  name,  so  I  always  called 
her  Celestine. 

Well,  Tamer  went  on  to  say  that,  though  it  wuz  pretty 
cool  in  Celestina,  but  jest  like  her  for  all  the  world, 
mebby  it  would  be  better  for  us  to  meet  there,  as  Uncle 
Submit  and  Aunt  Eunice  wuz  kinder  childish  and  mebby 
so  many  visitors  would  upset  'em,  and  Celestina  is  all 
took  up  with  her  painting,  and  hain't  any  housekeeper, 
and  the  hired  girl  is  a  real  shiftless  one.  And  sez 
Tamer,  * '  Be  sure  you  come  prepared  to  stay  a  week,  the 
children  are  jest  cryin'  to  have  you  come.  Anna  sez, 
*  Tell  Aunt  Samantha  she  must  stay  a  week  anyway,'  and 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  239 

Jack  has  wrote  you  a  letter  which  I  enclose  in  this. 
Cicero  would  send  a  message,  but  he  is  dretful  carried 
away  with  a  new  book  he  has  borrowed,  a  splendid  book, 
'  The  Serpent  Enchantress;  or,  The  Doomed  Fly- Away/ 
it  is  perfectly  fascinating.  I  set  up  last  night  until  four 
o'clock  finishin'  it." 

I  gin  a  deep  sithe  as  I  read  this  sentence.  The  letter 
closed  with  another  urgent  request  for  to  come  when 
she  give  me  warnin',  she  would  write  the  day  Celestina 
come,  she  said,  and  it  ended 

"  Yours  with  devoted  love, 

"  TAMEE  SMITH." 

I  laid  down  her  epistle  and  took  up  Jack's,  it  wuz 
printed  in  big  letters,  and  the  page  wuz  as  full  of  love 
and  longin'  to  see  me  as  it  wuz  with  smears  and  ink 
blots,  and  that  is  goin'  to  the  very  extent  of  describin' 
the  love  it  contained.  Bless  his  dear  little  warm  heart! 
Well,  I  spozed  I  should  have  to  go  but  thought  I 
wouldn't  talk  it  over  with  Josiah  till  the  day  drawed 
near,  not  wantin*  to  precipitate  trouble  onto  him  till  it 
wuz  necessary,  and  I  knew  well  how  wedded  he  wuz  to 
my  presence. 

And  the  next  day  I  begun  quietly  and  prudently  to 
prepare  for  the  great  Charity  Bazar  of  Miss  Greene 
Smythe's.  I  bound  over  my  best  woosted  petticoat  that 
wuz  some  frayed  out  round  the  bottom,  and  mended  a 
few  broken  places  in  the  tattin'  that  trimmed  my  white 
one.  I  took  the  lace  out  of  the  neck  and  sleeves  of  my 
gray  woosted  dress,  which  I  laid  out  to  wear  instead  of 
nay  black  alpacky,  thinkin'  it  looked  more  gay  and  cheer- 
ful and  more  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  a  fashionable 
party  in  high  life,  I  washed  the  lace  carefully  and  did  it 


240  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

up  and  put  it  back,  crimpin'  it  on  the  edge  as  I  did  so. 
I  pondered  on  the  enigma  some  time  whether  I  should 
look  too  gay,  and  go  beyend  the  other  church  members 
present,  if  I  pinned  on  in  front  a  satin  bow  of  kinder 
pink  ribbon  that  Maggie  had  gin  me,  I  held  it  up  to  the 
dress  and  see  in  the  looking-glass  it  looked  well,  but 
mebby  a  little  too  flantin'  and  frivolous,  so  I  laid  it  back 
agin  in  the  draw  and  made  up  my  mind  I  would  wear 
my  good  old  cameo  pin,  knowin7  that  wuz  safe  for  a 
Methodist  member  to  wear  anyway,  and  I  didn't  want  to 
cause  comments  or  roust  up  the  envy  and  jealousy  of 
the  other  females  present. 

Anon  and  pretty  soon  the  night  come  for  the  great 
Bazar  for  that  Heathen,  and  Josiah  and  I  started  in  good 
season,  for  we  didn't  want  the  mair  and  colt  to  be  hur- 
ried, nor  be  hurried  ourselves.  We  started  about  half- 
past  four  P.  M.  I  got  a  early  breakfast  that  mornin' 
a-purpose  to  git  a  early  dinner  so's  to  git  a  early  supper. 
"We  eat  supper  a  quarter  past  four  P.  M.  with  our  things 
all  on,  and  I  packed  up  the  dishes  in  the  sink,  which  I 
seldom  do,  but  felt  that  this  wuz  a  extra  occasion,  and 
I  didn't  want  to  wash  dishes  with  my  mantilly  on,  the 
tabs  dribblin'  down  into  the  water. 

Well,  to  go  by  the  crossroad  leading  to  Zoar  and 
turnin'  off  by  the  Cobble  Stun  schoolhouse,  it  is  only 
five  milds  to  Edgewater,  where  Miss  Greene  Smythe 
boards  for  the  summer.  The  big  summer  hotel  there  has 
as  much  as  twenty  acres  of  land  round  it,  all  full  of  trees 
and  windin'  walks  and  summerhousen,  and  hammocks 
and  swings  and  posy  beds,  and  croquet  grounds  and 
baseball  grounds,  where  they  kick  each  other  about  and 
lame  themselves  and  break  bones,  and  be  jest  as  fash- 
ionable as  they  can  be,  and  have  everything  else  for  their 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  241 

comfort.  And  in  front  of  all  is  the  clear,  blue  waters 
of  the  lake,  with  boathousen  and  little  boats  floatin'  on 
the  surface  jest  like  a  flock  of  white  geese  down  to  our 
pond. 

As  we  driv  onto  the  grounds  on  a  broad  gravel  walk 
with  brilliant  posy  beds  on  each  side  on't,  I  see  closter 
to  the  house  a  hull  lot  of  men  fixin'  a  big  tent  with  flags 
on't  and  puttin'  out  rows  of  little  lanterns  on  strings 
leadin'  from  one  tree  to  another  and  standin'  out  a  hull 
lot  of  evergreen  trees  round  the  big  tent  and  a  lot  of 
smaller  ones. 

The  mair  sort  o'  pricked  up  its  ears  at  the  sight  of 
so  many  strange  things,  but  kep'  right  along  on  the 
path  like  the  well  principled  mair  she  is.  But  the  colt 
bein'  younger  and  not  so  way-wised,  and  I  don't  believe 
havin'  the  good  principle  her  Ma  has,  or  ever  will  have, 
though  Josiah  sez  she  is  likelier  fur  than  her  Ma  wuz 
at  her  age.  But,  'tennyrate  she  made  a  dash  into  the 
thickest  of  the  crowd,  and  it  wuzn't  till  three  waiters 
had  been  upsot,  by  bein'  taken  in  their  back  onexpected, 
that  my  pardner  succeeded  in  catchin'  it.  By  this  time 
the  colt  bein'  tangled  in  the  line  of  lanterns  and  one  foot 
ketched  in  the  rope  of  evergreens,  he  stood  still  whin- 
nerin*.  And  the  waiters  cussin'  and  swearin'  fearful, 
and  my  pardner  goin'  as  fur  that  way  as  he  dast  with  his 
professions  and  religion.  He  did  say  "  dum  "  repeat- 
edly, and  "  gracious  Heavens!  "  and  "  gracious  Peter  I  ': 
and  all  these  milder  terms  a  deacon  can  use  and  not 
call  it  swearin'.  And  I,  holdin'  the  mair,  some  excited 
but  keepin'  my  conscientiousness  pretty  well,  when  a 
man  come  runnin'  out  from  the  hotel  that  seemed  to  be 
in  authority  and  he  quickly  loosed  the  bands  of  that  colt, 
and  sent  the  cussin'  waiters  about  their  bizness  and  ad- 


242  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

vanced  onto  me,  it  wuz  the  landlord,  Mr.  Grabhull,  I 
knowed  him  and  he  knowed  me,  and  he  wuz  real  polite, 
though  he  looked  cross  as  a  bear,  I  must  say. 

And  he  asked  me  if  I  wouldn't  alight,  and  if  he 
couldn't  help  me. 

And,  thinkin'  I  might  as  well,  seein*  I  had  got  there, 
I  did  alight  and  git  down,  but  refused  his  help,  backin' 
out  and  gittin'  down  myself  with  some  trouble,  for  the 
steps  of  the  democrat  are  high,  and  I  always  use  a  chair 
to  home  to  step  down  on,  but  wouldn't  ask  him  for  one 
if  I  had  fell  out,  thinkin'  we  had  made  him  enough  trou- 
ble already.  But  the  height  wuz  precipitous  and  I  felt 
giddy,  and,  when  at  last  my  feet  struck  solid  ground  I 
sez,  instinctively,  and  onbeknown  to  myself: 

"  Thank  Heaven,  as  the  man  said,  that  my  feet  are 
once  more  on  visey  versey. ' '  And  then,  to  let  him  know 
at  once  why  we  wuz  there,  I  took  my  card  of  invitation 
out  of  my  pocket,  and  sez: 

"  We  have  come  to  Miss  Greene  Smythe's  Bazar  for 
that  Heathen." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  sez  he,  "  and  you  would  like  to  see  her, 
wouldn't  you?  " 

And  I  sez,  "  Yes."  And  he  turned  towards  a  more 
secluded  corner  nigh  to  the  lake,  and  I  ketched  sight  of 
Miss  Greene  Smythe  settin'  in  a  hammock  with  three 
young  men  hoverin'  round  her  like  small  planets  round 
the  sun.  Them  Danglers  I  had  hearn  on,  I  felt  sure  from 
their  looks,  they  looked  sort  o'  danglin'  somehow.  Two 
of  'em  wore  white  flannel  and  the  other  dark-blue  wool- 
en, with  light-yellowish  colored  shues  on  all  on  'em, 
kinder  slips  like,  one  on  'em  had  a  banjo  in  his  hand 
and  one  on  'em  seemed  to  be  singin'. 

She  wuz  dressed  in  white,  with  a  great  broad  hat 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  243 

all  covered  with  white  feathers  and  streamers  and  things, 
and  her  dress  wuz  white,  too,  and  she  wuz  layin'  back 
in  the  hammock  on  some  gay-colored  cushions  as  easy 
as  you  please,  and  one  of  them  Danglers  had  a  big  fan 
and  wuz  fannin'  her.  But  even  as  I  looked  that  colt 
broke  away  from  the  landlord,  and,  bein'  skairt  most 
to  death,  jest  bounded  into  that  peaceful  group  and  scat- 
tered it  like  chaff  before  a  whirlwind.  She  upset  the 
feller  with  the  banjo,  steppin'  right  into  the  fiddle  as  she 
jumped  clean  over  the  hammock,  one  heel  kickin'  off  and 
goin'  through  that  great  white  hat,  and  stepped  into  the 
stomach  of  the  dangler  who  held  the  fan  and  broke  off 
the  feller's  song  right  in  the  most  effective  place,  for  he 
wuz  jest  singin'  in  a  deep  beartone: 

"  Come  where  my  love  lies  dreaming." 

'And,  as  if  in  answer,  the  colt  come,  one  foot  come 
square  down  into  them  dreams,  if  she  wuz  dreamin',  and 
tore  off  more  than  five  yards  of  lace  and  ribbons,  whilst 
the  other  one  took  off  the  big  hat,  as  I  said,  amidst  her 
loud  screams.  My  first  thought  wuz  she  would  have  a 
coniption  fit,  and  even  in  that  minute,  so  practical  is  my 
mind,  I  wondered  what  I  should  do  without  catnip  or 
burnt  feathers.  But  even  as  I  thought  this  she  turned 
towards  me  and  see  who  I  wuz  and  what  had  caused  the 
fracas,  for  Josiah  and  the  landlord  wuz  follerin'  on  in 
hot  pursuit,  whilst  the  old  mair  stood  in  the  background 
whinnerin'  to  her  colt,  either  in  encouragement  or  re- 
monstrance, I  couldn't  tell  which. 

Miss  Greene  Smythe  looked  cross  enough  to  eat  a  file 
at  that  first  look,  but  immegiately  the  young  men  sprung 
up,  one  gathered  up  her  laces  and  ribbons  and  placed  'em 
in  her  hands,  another  her  fan  and  book,  and,  though  I 


244  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

am  ready  to  testify  that  that  first  look  she  gin  me  wuz 
mad  as  a  settin'  hen  with  a  brindle  dog  round,  before  I 
could  hardly  git  the  run  of  that  look  and  set  it  down 
in  my  mind  memorandum,  she  put  on  a  dretful  warm 
smile,  yet  as  queer  lookin'  as  any  I  ever  see,  and  I  have 
seen  queer  lookin'  smiles  in  my  day  and  gin  'em,  too,  yes, 
indeed!  and  she  come  forward,  holdin'  out  her  hand 
with  the  lace  and  ribbin  danglin'  from  it,  and  sez  she, 
"  How  good  of  you  to  come,  you  will  spend  the  day 
with  me,  won't  you?  " 

"  Spend  the  dayl  "  sez  I,  agast  at  the  idee;  "  why, 
we  have  come  to  your  reception  and  Bazar-  for  that 
Heathen,  but  if  I  had  knowed  how  that  colt  wuz  goin' 
to  act  we  would  tied  it  to  the  fills,  we  couldn't  leave  it 
to  home,  for  it  hain't  weaned.  I  feel  mortified  and  sorry 
to  think  it  pitched  into  you  so,  and  upset  them  Dang- 
lers," I  wuz  jest  a-goin'  to  say,  but  bethought  myself 
and  sez,  *  *  them  young  chaps,  I  feel  dretful  sorry,  and  am 
willin'  to  repair  damages  jest  so  fur  as  I  can.  I'll  give 
you  one  of  my  hats;  and  that  fiddle,"  sez  I,  "  if  it  needs 
new  strings  I  stand  ready  to  git  'em,  we  have  got  more 
cats  than  we  need  round  the  barn,  and  I  can  furnish  a 
dozen  strings  as  well  as  not,  and  I'll  tell  the  young  man 
so."  And  I  advanced  towards  'em. 

But  she  hurriedly  drawed  me  off  the  other  way,  and 
sez  she  real  warm,  "  How  good  of  you,  how  extremely 
good  of  you  to  stay  to  the  reception!  "  And  then  she 
sez,  lookin'  round  sort  o'  helplessly  and  mournfully  to- 
wards the  Danglers,  and  then  at  me  agin : 

"  You— oh!— let  me  see— yes— you  come  right  up  into 
my  room,  and  dear  Mr.  Allen  must  come  into  the  reading 
room.  They  have  caught  the  colt,  I  see;  I  will  rejoin  you 
in  a  minute." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  245 

And  she  slipped  back  to  say  a  few  words  to  them  de- 
serted Danglers,  who  looked  as  helpless  and  queer  as 
planets  might  look  when  through  some  upheaval  the  sun 
wuz  suddenly  removed,  and  they  wuz  left  hangin'  round 
in  space  with  nothin'  to  revolve  round.  I  thought  I 
hearn  her  say  sunthin'  about  havin'  to  git  a  little  rest, 
anyway;  the  idee  I  thought  of  anybody  goin'  to  bed  at 
that  time  of  day,  and  sunthin'  about  seein'  'em  all  to- 
night, and  then  she  said  she  wouldn't  say  good-by,  but 
awe  revoir,  and  they  all  said  it  to  her,  shakin'  hands 
with  her  and  hangin'  over  her  hand  as  if  they  wuz  goin' 
to  the  fur  Injys  as  missionaries  liable  to  be  eat  up  by 
savages,  never  to  see  her  agin. 

I  spoze  they  referred  to  the  "  awe  "  they  felt  in  seein' 
a  young  colt  like  that  so  uncommon  active,  what  the 
"  revoir  "  meant  I  don't  know,  unless  it  wuz  some  man 
by  that  name  who  owned  a  colt  not  nigh  so  smart  as 
ourn.  Yes,  indeed,  that  colt  well  merits  Josiah's  en- 
coniums  so  fur  as  smartness  is  concerned.  He  had  led 
Mr.  Grabhull  and  Josiah  a  tegus  chase,  but  at  last,  as 
I  could  see,  glancin'  towards  the  lake,  Josiah  Allen  had 
got  a  firm  grip  onto  his  mane  and  wuz  leadin'  him  back, 
still  wearin'  the  hat  on  his  foreleg  instead  of  his  fore- 
top.  The  hat  wuz  spilte. 

The  smartest  creeters  have  their  limitations.  That 
colt  could  make  light  of  Danglers  and  fashionable  wim- 
men,  step  through  their  hats,  tromple  on  'em  and  leap 
over  'em,  scatter  'em  like  leaves  in  a  high  gale,  but  when 
he  come  bunt  up  aginst  the  lake  and  whinnered  at  it, 
and  it  still  lay  calm  and  smooth  before  him  and  wuzn't 
danted,  he  gin  up  that  the  lake  wuz  too  big  a  job  for 
him  to  tackle  and  subdue,  so  he  stood  quite  meek  and 
wuz  ketched.  Presently  the  cavalcade  drawed  nigh  to 


246  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

us,  and  Miss  Greene  Smythe  repeated  her  invitation  that 
dear  Mr.  Allen  must  come  right  into  the  reading  room, 
where  he  would  find  all  the  last  papers. 

"  Is  the  World  there?  "  sez  Josiah,  prickin'  up  his 
ears  at  the  idee,  he  wuz  all  tuckered  out  and  wanted  to 
set  down  and  rest.  "  Oh,  yes,"  sez  she,  "  the  Weekly, 
the  Daily,  and  the  Sunday  World.  I  will  have  a  couple 
of  waiters  bring  those  papers  to  you,"  sez  she. 

"  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  they  are  hefty." 

Well,  I  see  that  Josiah  wuz  full  of  happiness  in  a  quiet 
corner  of  that  big  readin'  room  overlookin'  the  lake,  for 
there  wuzn't  hardly  a  soul  in  it  at  that  time,  and  his 
beloved  papers  stacked  up  in  front  of  him  some  like  a 
small  haystack,  he  wuz  fairly  overrunnin'  with  content- 
ment. Mr.  Grabhull  had  led  the  colt  towards  the  stables, 
havin'  persuaded  it  to  lay  off  its  hat,  and  one  of  the 
waiters  wuz  leadin*  the  old  mair. 

Then  I  turned  and  silently  f  ollered  Miss  Greene  Smythe 
up  to  her  room.  Lots  of  men  wuz  to  work  hangin' 
draperies  and  puttin'  flowers  up  on  the  walls,  and  strings 
of  evergreens  and  ribbins  and  makin'  it  dretful  pretty. 
But  Miss  Greene  Smythe  led  the  way  through  'em  all 
into  what  she  called  her  boodore,  and  there  she  gin  me 
a  rockin'  chair  and  I  sot  down,  she  asked  me  to  lay  off 
my  things,  but  I  told  her  I  guessed  I  wouldn't  take  off 
my  bunnet,  bein'  as  I  would  have  to  put  it  on  so  quick, 
but  I  loosened  the  strings  and  took  off  my  mantilly,  care- 
fully foldin'  the  tabs  as  I  did  so  and  holdin'  it  in  my  lap. 
She  called  a  fashionably  dressed  girl  with  a  cap  on,  who 
wuz  to  work  on  a  pile  of  satin  drapery  when  we  went  in, 
to  come  and  take  my  mantilly.  But  I  told  her  I  jest 
as  lives  hold  it  in  my  lap,  as  I  should  want  to  put  it  on 
so  soon. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  247 

She  looked  sort  o'  wonderin'  and  went  back  to  her 
work.  I  see,  on  lookin'  closter,  that  it  wuz  a  dress  of 
pale-blue  satin  with  a  deep  velvet  train,  and  she  wuz 
puttin'  on  the  waist  strings  of  gems  of  all  colors,  and 
that  skirt!  I  am  tellin'  you  the  livin'  truth,  that  velvet 
train  wuz  as  long  as  from  our  bedroom  to  the  parlor 
door,  and  I  d  'no  but  it  wuz  as  long  as  from  our  bedroom 
acrost  the  hall  into  the  spare  room,  'tennyrate  it  wuz  the 
longest  skirt  I  ever  see  or  expect  to  see,  all  lined  with 
pale-pink  satin. 

Miss  Greene  Smythe  sez,  "  I  am  to  be  Queen  Elizabeth 
in  full  court  dress.  Here  is  my  collar,"  sez  she,  "  and 
my  crown,"  and  she  showed  a  immense  collar  of  white 
lace  and  a  crown  all  covered  with  precious  stuns  in  flow- 
ers and  figgers,  it  fairly  glittered  and  shone  like  the  posy 
bed  in  the  early  mornin'  when  the  dew  is  shinin'  on  it. 

" 1  have  combined,"  sez  she,  "  a  Bazar,  a  reception, 
and  a  fancy  dress  ball,  for  there  will  be  dancing  after 
supper  is  served." 

"  What  time  is  supper?  "  sez  I,  for  I  scented  trouble 
ahead. 

"  Oh,  about  one,"  sez  she. 

Sez  I  aghast,  "  Do  you  mean  one  o-clock  at  night?  " 

"  Yes,"  sez  she. 

"  What  time  do  you  begin  the  doin's?  "  sez  I. 

"  Oh,  the  Bazar  will  be  opened  at  ten,  the  reception 
at  twelve,  the  dancing  beginning  after  supper,  about  two 
o-clock." 

"  For  the  land's  sake!  "  sez  I;  "  for  the  land's  sake!  " 
and  I  leaned  back  in  my  chair  perfectly  overcome  by  the 
programmy.  And  sez  I,  "  What  time  do  you  end  up?  " 

"  Oh,  we  may  be  through  about  sunrise,  but  if  it  is 


248  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

later  it  is  no  matter,  for  the  rooms  will  be  darkened  and 
we  can  dance  until  nine  o'clock,  if  we  choose. " 

I  wuz  speechless  with  my  emotions;  I  couldn't  quell 
'em  and  didn't  want  to,  but  Miss  Greene  Smythe  didn't 
notice  'em,  for  she  seemed  all  took  up  tellin'  her  maid 
where  to  put  the  gorgeousest  of  the  gems  she  wuz  sewin' 
onto  the  satin,  and  then  she  sez  sunthin'  about  seem' 
Medora  a  minute  and  handed  me  a  hull  lapfull  of  books 
and  magazines,  and  sayin'  sunthin'  to  the  girl  about  re- 
freshments, she  left  the  room.  I  wuz  settin'  tryin'  to 
read  them  magazines  she  had  piled  in  my  lap,  but  I 
didn't  git  much  interested  in  'em,  for  they  wuz  all  about 
fashions  and  boleros,  which  I  had  always  thought  wuz 
some  kind  of  a  Mexican  steer,  but  found  out  it  wuz 
sunthin'  to  wear,  and  reveres,  which  sounded  well,  but 
meant  fashionable  clothing,  and  so  on  lots  of  other 
strange  names  and  descriptions,  but  I  didn't  care  much 
for  'em. 

Well,  I  had  turned  'em  over  and  had  jest  lit  on  sun- 
thin'  so  important  that  they  put  it  even  into  a  fashion- 
able magazine,  a  long  description  of  a  football  race  and  a 
college  athletic  contest  in  which  two  young  men  had  got 
maimed  for  life  and  one  killed  outright,  and  more'n  two 
hundred  drunk  as  fools,  and  I  wuz  readin'  it  with  hor- 
row  when  my  companion  come  up  crazy  with  a  new  idee, 
he  had  heard  there  wuz  goin'  to  be  a  fancy  ball,  and  he 
wanted  to  join  it  in  costoom  and  attend  the  ball. 

Sez  I,  "  Josiah  Allen,  I  shall  not  stay  here  till  twelve 
P.  M.,  but,  if  I  wuz  goin',  I  should  go  as  myself,  and 
not  as  anybody  else." 

"  "Why,"  sez  he,  "  the  fancy  dress  is  goin'  to  be  first. 
We  can  jine  in  that  and  then  go  home,  for  I  don't  want 
to  dance, ' '  sez  he. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  249 

"  I  should  think  as  much/'  sez  I  coldly;  "  a  deacon, 
and  most  dead  with  rheumatiz,  to  say  nothin'  of  the 
grandchildren,  why,"  sez  I,  "  one  pigeon  wing,  or  one 
goin'  down  through  the  middle,  or  all  hands  round, 
would  crumple  you  right  up  and  be  the  death  of  you." 

"  Well,  I  told  you  explicitly  that  I  didn't  lay  out  to 
dance,  nor  didn't  ask  you  to." 

Sez  I  coldly,  "  If  you  did  it  would  be  a  outlay  of  polite- 
ness that  would  be  throwed  away.  Dance!  "  sez  I, 
"  when  I  can't  git  up  or  set  down  without  groanin', 
and  my  principles  like  iron." 

"  Well,  well,  who  said  they  wuzn't?  I  told  you  we 
wouldn't  dance  this  evenin',  but,"  sez  he  impressively, 
' '  we  can  dress  up  fancy,  or  I  can,  and  swing  out  for  once 
and  be  fashionable  and  gay." 

'  *  I  would  like  to  know  where  you  can  git  your  things 
to  swing  out  in,  and  what  character  you  would  represent 
and  what  dress  you  would  go  in." 

"  Well,"  sez  he,  crossin'  his  legs  and  lookin'  real  con- 
tented and  happy,  *  *  I  thought  I  would  go  as  a  child. ' ' 

"  As  a  child!  "  sez  I,  astounded  at  his  idee. 

"  Yes,"  sez  he,  "  as  a  babe.  I  have  planned  it  all  out; 
I  could  slip  over  to  the  store,  this  summer  store  they  have 
got  here  to  accommodate  the  boarders,  and  buy  twenty 
yards  or  so  of  sheetin',  you  could  use  it  afterwards  for 
sheets,  you  know,  and  you  could  pin  it  onto  me  and  tie 
it  round  the  waist  with  a  pale-blue  sash.  I  could  buy 
a  couple  of  yards  of  blue  cambric  and  you  could  tear  it 
into,  and  tie  it  round  my  waist  with  a  big  bow,  and  there 
I  would  be  a  babe." 

"  What  would  you  do  with  your  whiskers?  "  sez  I 
coldly.  ' '  And  your  wrinkles  and  your  gray  bald  head  ?  ' ' 

' '  By  Jimminy !  ' '  sez  he,  "  I  forgot  them. ' ' 


250  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

He  see  himself,  as  quick  as  his  attention  wuz  drawed 
to  it,  that  a  babe  in  long  white  dresses  ortn't  to  have 
gray  whiskers  and  a  bald  head. 

"  Well,'*  sez  he,  "  what  do  you  say  to  a  Pirate  or  a 
Bandit  chief!  I  could  buy  a  piece  of  red  and  yeller  cree- 
ton,  figgered,  and  a  piece  of  striped  for  a  sash.  They  're 
always  depictered  in  dime  novels  as  bein'  very  dressy 
with  feathers,  and  I  could  kinder  jam  in  the  top  of  my 
hat  and  put  some  feathers  in  it,  I  could  buy  a  couple  of 
turkey  wings  of  Nate  Enders,  he  deals  in  turkeys,  and 
I  have  to  go  most  to  his  house  to  go  to  the  store— what 
do  you  say,  Samantha?  Or,  would  you  go  as  a  Shep- 
herd Boy,  or  how  would  you  got  " 

I  wuz  wore  out,  and  I  sez,  "  I  would  go  as  a  natteral 
fool,  Josiah,  and  you  wouldn't  have  to  buy  anything  or 
change  a  mite  to  do  it." 

"  Yes,  there  it  is;  keep  right  on,  I  never  knew  it  to  fail 
in  my  life;  I  never  yet  got  a  chance  to  enter  fashionable 
life  and  show  off  a  little  but  you  tried  to  break  it  up." 
Sez  he  still  more  pitiful,  * '  I  always  wanted  to  look  fancy, 
Samantha,  and  you've  never  seemed  willin'.  I  don't 
say  that  you  are  jealous  of  my  looks,  for  I  don't  think 
you  are  any  such  a  woman,  but  I  will  say  it  looks  queer, 
but  now  there  is  a  chance  for  me  to  look  gay,  and  I  am 
goin'  to  embrace  it." 

Jest  that  minute  the  girl  with  the  cap  on  come  into 
the  room  agin,  and  I  nudged  him  to  keep  still,  but  he 
wouldn't.  I  enticed  him  over  to  the  winder  and  argued 
with  him  there.  My  voice  wuz  real  low,  but  he  wuz  so 
excited  and  spoke  so  loud  the  girl  must  have  got  a  ink- 
lin'  of  what  he  wuz  sayin',  and,  seem'  the  dilemma  I  wuz 
in,  she  spoke  right  up  and  sez  with  her  queer  little 
axent: 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  251 

"  They  wuz  not  all  to  appear  in  Fancy  Dress,  it  wuz 
for  the  young  mostly,  the  aged  were  not  expected  to 
appear  in  costume. " 

And  that  madded  Josiah  more  than  ever;  he  duz  want 
to  appear  young;  he  don't  grow  old  as  graceful  as  I  could 
wish,  and  he  hollered  out: 

"  Where  are  your  aged  folks!  I  don't  see  any.  I 
am  in  the  prime  of  life  myself,  and,  as  for  Samantha, 
she  don't  have  to  wear  a  cap,  anyway." 

"  No,  Moseer,"  sez  she,  real  polite,  but  she  contended 
firm  as  iron,  bein'  my  friend,  as  I  could  see,  that 
"  Madam  and  Moseer  would  not  be  expected  to  appear 
in  costoom." 

"  Well,  Modom  can  do  as  she  is  a  mind  to,"  sez  he, 
mocking  the  girl's  way  of  pronouncin'  Madame,  and  It 
did  sound  some  like  swearin',  but  I  didn't  mind, 
"  Modom  can  do  as  she  is  a  mind  to,  but  I  am  goin'  in 
costoom." 

But  I  whispered  to  him  and  sez,  "  When  perfect 
strangers  warn  you  for  your  good,  Josiah  Allen,  mebby 
you'll  listen  to  'em  if  you  won't  to  me.  I  won't  put 
down  the  words  he  replied  to  me  in  a  savage  whisper, 
nor  his  answer  to  my  arguments,  no  it  hain't  best,  he 
is  my  pardner,  and  I  took  him  for  better  or  worse,  and 
why  should  I  flinch  when  the  worst  appears?  No,  I  will 
pass  over  the  time  till  I  got  him  subsided  in  a  big  arm- 
chair by  my  side  (no  wonder  he  wuz  tired)  readin'  a 
portion  of  his  World  that  he  had  brung  up  in  his  hand. 

The  girl  looked  feelin'ly  at  me  as  he  sot  there,  still 
mutterin'  occasionally,  and  she  went  out,  and  a  little 
while  after  a  waiter  appeared  with  a  tray  full  of  good 
vittles,  splendid.  Whether  that  girl  is  married  or  single, 
she  knows  men's  naters  and  what  is  the  soothinest 


252  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

emolyent  to  apply  to  'em.  As  he  helped  himself  to  the 
third  helpin'  of  nice,  tender  chicken  with  accompani- 
ments of  creamed  potatoes  and  toast  and  coffee,  good  as 
I  can  make  a  most,  his  mean  relaxed  and  he  put  on  a 
less  madder  look,  and  as  he  took  the  fourth  slice  of  some 
good  cake  and  jelly,  his  axent  wuz  almost  tender  as  he 
sez,  "  Well,  Samantha,  my  dear,  when  had  we  better  go 
down  and  jine  the  party!  " 

"There  hain't  any  party  to  jine  now,  but  if  you  feel 
like  it  we  will  go  down  pretty  soon  and  walk  round  the 
grounds  and  along  the  lake  till  the  company  comes,  and," 
sez  I,  "  if  I  had  mistrusted  before  I  left  home  that  this 
thing  didn't  begin  till  after  bedtime,  I  wouldn't  have 
stirred  a  step,  and  wouldn't,  anyway,  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  that  Heathen,  but  sence  we  are  here  we  might  as 
well  stay  and  see  some  of  it,  and  then  go  home." 

"  Yes,"  sez  he,  "  it  won't  be  no  worse  than  watch 
meetin',  anyway." 

So  this  programmy  wuz  carried  out  by  us.  We  walked 
round  the  grounds,  by  this  time  all  alive  with  men  and 
wimmen  and  waiters  runnin'  every  which  way,  puttin' 
up  lamps  and  lanterns  and  awnin's,  and  fixin'  booths  and 
seats,  etc.,  etc.,  and  I  thought  to  myself  how  much  that 
Heathen  is  havin'  done  for  him,  and  I  wondered  if  he 
realized  it  and  appreciated  it  as  he  ort  to. 

We  walked  round  till  we  got  tired  and  then  sot  down 
on  a  bench  by  the  lake  shore,  and,  bein'  tired,  I  d'no  but 
we  fell  into  a  drowse,  'tennyrate  we  rested  real  good. 
The  gentle  swash  of  the  waves  on  the  pebbly  beach 
sounded  sort  o'  soothin'  and  refreshing  jinin'  in  as  it  did 
with  the  soft  night  wind  that  wuz  blowin'  in  from  the 
west.  Pretty  soon  the  sun  went  down  into  the  lake  that 
looked  as  if  we  might  walk  away  on  it  clear  into  Glory 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  253 

if  we  tried  to,  and  then  the  stars  come  out  and  glistened 
in  the  clear  sky  overhead,  and  the  crescent  moon  hung 
in  the  east  like  a  great  silver  hammock  for  angels  to  lay 
down  in  and  rest  their  wings  some.  And  almost  simel- 
taneous  with  the  stars  overhead  come  the  lightin*  of  a 
thousand  lights  around  us,  behind  us,  and  before  us, 
sparkling,  glittering,  shining  lights  of  all  shapes  and 
colors  glancin'  through  the  evergreen  boughs  and  soft 
foliage,  and  hung  in  long  lines  of  brilliant  color  from  tree 
to  tree.  The  hotel  looked  as  if  it  wuz  a  sea  of  light 
inside,  and  the  big  tent  looked  as  brilliant  as  Aladin's 
palace,  and  the  long  line  of  little  booths  on  each  side 
looked,  too,  as  if  they  had  been  brought  from  Arabia 
and  sot  down  there,  so  strange  and  brilliant  they  looked 
with  gorgeous  curtains  and  tables  all  heaped  up  with 
beautiful  objects  to  sell  and  lights  sparklin'  everywhere. 

Well,  by  the  time  we  got  rousted  up  and  walkin'  round 
and  viewin'  the  seen  the  music  had  struck  up  in  a  tent 
by  itself,  enchantin'  music  that  seemed  to  roust  up  our 
souls  and  bodies,  too.  Pretty  girls  and  handsome  wim- 
men  wuz  standin'  behind  the  tables  in  them  little  booths 
sellin'  their  wares  for  the  benefit  of  that  Heathen  to  the 
brilliant  crowd  that  wuz  beginnin'  to  fill  the  walks  and 
tents,  a  brilliant  crowd  indeed,  for  every  costoom  of  every 
age  wuz  represented. 

And  they  wuz  so  beautiful,  and  the  music  wuz  so  soft 
and  enchantin',  that  I  did  wish  that  Heathen  could  have 
looked  on  that  seen  that  wuz  bein'  done  for  him.  I 
believe  it  would  have  shamed  him  if  he  had  any  shame, 
and  he  wouldn't  eat  up  any  more  missionaries,  not  for 
some  time,  anyway,  but  then,  as  I  told  Josiah,  he  prob- 
able wouldn't  feel  to  home  here  and  probable  wuzn't 
dressed  decent  for  the  occasion. 


254  Samantka  on  Children's  Rights 

And  he  sez,  pintin'  to  a  woman  who  wuz  walkin'  round 
locked  arms  with  a  man  and  holdin'  a  gold  eyeglass  to 
her  eye,  "  I  d'no  but  he  would  feel  to  home  with  her." 

And,  as  I  looked  on  her,  I  see  my  pardner  wuz  right, 
her  waist  wuz  jest  a  mockery  of  a  waist,  a  belt  and  a 
string  over  her  shoulder  wuz  about  all,  and  her  arms  bare 
to  her  shoulders,  only  some  gloves  drawed  on  part  way. 
I  drawed  him  away  at  a  good  jog  and  walked  him  into 
what  I  thought  wuz  a  place  of  safety,  but,  good  land! 
I  see  I  had  got  him  into  a  worse  place  by  far,  for  whereas 
there  had  been  only  one  female  heathen,  as  you  may  say, 
here  wuz  more  than  a  dozen.  I  was  so  took  up  with 
the  seen  that  I  didn't  realize  what  wuz  about  us  till  I 
hearn  Josiah  gin  a  low  chuckle,  and  I  sez : 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Josiah  Allen?  " 

And  he  sez,  "  Oh,  no  thin'."  But  as  I  looked  round  I 
see  plain  what  he  wuz  chucklin'  over,  and  I  hurried  him 
away.  As  we  went,  he  sez: 

' '  You  no  need  to  worried,  Samantha,  about  that  naked 
Heathen  not  feelin'  to  home." 

"  Well,"  sez  I,  "  they  have  got  clothes  enough  on 
from  their  waist  down."  I  will  stand  up  for  my  sect, 
anyway. 

"  Yes,"  sez  Josiah,  "  if  these  wimmen  and  girls  would 
take  some  of  the  silk  and  gauzes  that  are  straingin'  down 
on  the  ground  to  cover  up  their  nakedness  they  would 
look  better,  enough  sight." 

Sez  I,  "  You  hain't  obleeged  to  look  on  'em." 

"  Well,"  sez  he,  real  impatient,  "  put  girl  blinders 
on  me  if  you  want  to,  but  I  have  got  to  look  round  some 
till  you  do." 

And  I  sez,  "  We  will  go  into  the  booths  and  trade  a 


I  DRAWED   HIM   AWAY   AT   A   GOOD  JOG,    AND   WALKED    HIM   INTO  WHAT   I 
THOUGHT   WUZ   A   PLACE   OF  SAFETY. 

Page  254. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  255 

little."  Here  he  groaned  pitiful,  but  I  reminded  him  that 
the  Heathen  had  got  to  be  helped  some  by  us,  and  he 
sez, ' '  That  Heathen  has  more  done  for  him  than  I  have, 
enough  sight.*' 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

E  had  hard  work  to  git  through  the  gorgeous 
lookin*  crowd,  every  country  and  every 
nation  wuz  represented.  Queens,  flashin' 
with  jewels;  flower  girls,  carryin'  baskets  of 
flowers;  kings,  cardinals,  monks,  officers  in 
brilliant  uniform,  fairies,  Night  covered  with  stars  and  a 
pale  pearl  moon  in  her  forehead,  and  Mornin'  dressed 
in  a  rosy  cloud  with  a  sunburst  of  diamonds  on  her  brow; 
Injuns,  male  and  female,  clad  in  short  embroidered  skirts 
and  leggins  and  feathers  in  their  long,  straight  locks. 
Eastern  men  and  wimmen  with  long  flowin'  robes,  the 
wimmen  with  veils  on,  the  men  with  strange  simeters 
and  weepons  at  their  sides.  And,  in  fact,  think  of  any 
costoom  under  the  sun  and  there  is  wuz  before  you.  And, 
sure  enough,  the  girl  wuz  right,  lots  and  lots  of  folks  ap- 
peared in  their  own  clothes  and  wuz  here  as  themselves. 
Well,  at  last  we  come  to  the  first  booth,  and  I  bought 
a  little  fan  and  a  mite  of  a  handkerchief  for  Delight,  both 
dearer  than  beautiful,  but  havin'  that  sufferm'  Heathen 
in  my  mind  I  paid  quite  cheerful,  Josiah  groanin'  some 
at  the  money  I  lavished  on  them  two  articles.  But  I 
whispered,  "  Remember  what  is  said  of  the  cheerful 
giver.  Groans  don't  become  this  enterprise  and  occa- 
sion, Josiah  Allen." 

And  then,  hearin'  the  money  clink  merrily  down  into 
the  boxes  of  the  booth  tenders,  I  sez  almost  onbeknown  to 
myself  to  the  pretty  girl  who  wuz  doin'  up  my  things: 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  257 

"  I  hope  it  hain't  goin*  to  make  him  vain  and  over- 
bearin."  And  she  asked  me  who  I  meant? 

And  sez  I,  "  Why,  that  Heathen;  he'll  be  rich  as  a  Jew 
by  mornin'.  I  am  most  afraid  such  onexpected  riches 
will  make  him  hold  his  head  and  feet  up  above  his 
mates."  Sez  I,  "If  everything  is  sold  as  high  as  the 
things  you've  sold  me,  he  will  be  independent  rich." 
She  kinder  laughed  and  said, ' '  Oh,  you  know  that  things 
sold  for  charity  are  always  higher  priced." 

"  Oh,  I  don't  begrech  the  money,  not  at  all,  and 
shouldn't  if  I  didn't  git  nothin'  back.  I  wuz  always 
sorry  for  that  Heathen,  and  am  glad  to  take  holt  and 
help  him,  but,"  sez  I,  "I  wuz  wonderin'  what  effect  such 
sudden  wealth  would  have  on  him,  whether  it  would  quell 
down  his  appetite  for  missionaries,  or  whet  it  up,  you 
know  you  can  never  tell  what  sudden  prosperity  will  do 
to  anybody's  character." 

And  she  said,  with  a  kinder  shrewd  look,  that  she 
guessed  that  the  Heathen  wouldn't  be  enriched  to  any 
alarmin'  extent,  for,  sez  she,  lookin'  round  the  almost  en- 
chantin'  seen  and  down  onto  her  own  gorgeous  costoom, 
"  The  expenses  to-night  have  been  something  enormous, 
and  the  Heathen  can't  have  anything  till  the  expenses 
are  paid.  And  then,"  she  said,  "  it  is  very  expensive  to 
get  the  funds  carried  so  far." 

"  Why,  yes,"  sez  I,  "  I  know  there  would  have  to  be 
a  money  order  bought  or  sunthin'  of  that  kind."  But 
she  smiled  and  went  to  wait  on  her  next  customers,  and 
who  should  they  be,  for  all  the  world,  but  my  own  son 
and  daughter,  Thomas  J.  and  Maggie?  They  wuz  real 
glad  to  see  their  Pa  and  Ma,  and  showed  it.  She  looked 
very  sweet  in  a  thin,  black  lace  dress,  a  white  lace 
bunnet  with  some  pink  and  white  flowers  in  it,  and  some 


258  'Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

posies  of  the  same  color  in  her  belt  and  bosom,  white 
gloves  and  a  white  fan  completed  her  pretty  costoom.  I 
wuz  glad  enough  to  see  she,  too,  had  come  as  herself, 
and  so  had  Thomas  J.  come  as  himself.  She  bought  a 
number  of  articles,  and  Thomas  J.  did,  too. 

But  when  I  told  them  of  my  misgivings  about  the  sud- 
den wealth  settin'  up  the  Heathen  too  much,  and  wished 
that  I  could  talk  to  him  a  spell  about  the  vanity  of  riches 
and  the  needecessity  of  his  behavin'  himself  as  he  ort  to 
under  his  sudden  change  of  fortune,  Thomas  J.  said, 
"  No  need  to  worry,  Mother,  the  Heathen  won't  git 
enough  out  of  this  to  hurt  his  character."  And  he  sez, 
when  I  commented  on  the  fairy-like  beauty  of  the  seen: 

"  Yes,  it  is  quite  a  change  from  a  seen  I  witnessed  to- 
day in  Jonesville  "  (he  is  real  charitable,  Thomas  J.  is). 
' '  I  found  a  family  starving,  Mother,  really  suffering  for. 
food— think  of  that,  not  five  miles  from  here.  The  father 
and  mother  sick  with  fever,  the  children  too  young  to 
work,  they  were  too  proud  to  beg,  but  at  last  they  did 
send  for  me;  I  used  to  know  the  man.  And  Maggie  and 
I  carried  enough  to  them  for  the  present,  and  I  sent  for 
the  doctor.  We  must  all  take  hold  and  help  them  out, 
Mother,  they  are  deserving  and  honest. " 

And  I  told  him  warmly  that  I  would.  I  would  carry 
them  a  sack  of  flour  and  some  butter  and  meat  in  the 
morning. 

And  Josiah  sez,  "  Half  a  sack  will  do,  won't  it?  They 
can't  bake." 

And  I  sez,  "  You  are  right,  Josiah,  I  will  bake  the 
bread  and  carry  to  them,  and  cook  the  meat." 

And  Thomas  J.  resoomed,  "  Bight  round  this  very 
place,  Mother,  within  five  miles,  I  will  find  you  fifty 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  259 

families  where  children  are  suffering  for  food  and  cloth- 
ing." 

Sez  Josiah  (he  don't  love  to  give  and  wuz  afraid  of 
the  dreen  on  his  resources  if  I  took  it  into  my  head  to 
succor  the  hull  fifty  families),  "  in  lots  of  places  the 
parents  are  lazy  or  drink." 

"  But,"  sez  I  warmly,  "  the  children  are  not  to  blame, 
they  are  more  to  be  pitied." 

11  That  is  so,  Mother,"  sez  Thomas  J. 

11  But,"  sez  Josiah,  "  the  town  ort  to  take  care  on 
'em." 

"  Sometimes  they  are  too  proud  to  apply  to  the  town," 
sez  Thomas  J. 

Josiah  wuz  openin'  his  mouth  to  argy  some  more  (he 
is  dretful  clost)  when  we  felt  and  heard  a  great  commo- 
\  tion  runnin'  through  the  crowd,  we  wuz  standin'  out  a 
little  to  one  side,  and  Thomas  J.  spoke  real  low,  he  had 
too  good  taste  to  openly  show  that  he  thought  that 
Heathen  might  divide  up  a  little  with  native  sufferers. 
But,  on  advancin'  a  little,  we  see  the  cause  of  the  excite- 
ment. Miss  Greene  Smythe  wuz  advancin'  out  of  the 
hotel  towards  the  big  tent  where  she  wuz  goin'  to  stand, 
and  all  who  wanted  to  wuz  led  in  by  a  usher  to  take  her 
hand  and  kiss  it,  or  jest  shake  it,  as  they  wanted  to. 

Well,  she  wuz  a  sight,  a  sight  as  she  passed  onwards. 
She  wuz  dressed  as  Queen  Elizabeth  in  that  identical 
dress  I  had  seen  with  the  boddist  a  mass  of  jeweled  em- 
broidery, a  great  white  ruff  standin'  up  round  her  face, 
with  strings  of  precious  stuns  hung  round  her  neck  and 
blazin'  in  her  crown  and  strung  on  her  dress  everywhere, 
and  her  velvet  skirt  behind  her  trailin'  more  than  as 
fur  from  our  front  door  to  the  gate,  or  so  it  seemed,  all 


260  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

held  up  by  two  pages,  as  they  called  'em.  But  I  recog- 
nized their  faces;  they  wuz  two  of  the  Danglers,  I  could 
see,  with  fancy  dresses  on,  one  pink  satin  and  the  other 
pale  yellow,  and  their  satin  knee  breeches  only  come 
down  to  their  knees,  where  they  wuz  met  by  long  silk 
stockin's  with  glitterin'  buckles  on  'em  and  their  low 
slips.  They  had  wigs  powdered  real  gray  and  braided 
up  on  their  backs  with  ribbin  bows  on  'em.  And  the  one 
who  locked  arms  with  her,  walkin'  by  her  side,  they 
called  him  Leicester,  but  I  knowed  him,  he  wuz  the  other 
Dangler.  He  wuz  dressed  in  a  white  satin'  suit,  embroi- 
dered jacket,  and  knee  breeches,  and  his  breast  all  cov- 
ered with  orders,  stars  and  crosses,  all  a  blaze  of  jewels. 

He  walked  clost  by  her  side,  carryin'  her  fan,  which 
wuz  also  shining  with  precious  stuns,  and  he  wuz  fannin' 
her  most  of  the  time.  And  the  other  two  Danglers  wuz 
jealous  as  I  could  see.  I  could  see  'em  knit  their  eye- 
brows, and  I  thought  I  hearn  'em  grate  their  teeth.  But 
I  know  I  see  'em  shake  their  fists  at  him  onperceived  by 
the  gay  crowd,  so  hollow  is  fashionable  life,  and  so  the 
worm  of  jealousy  gnaws  even  the  empty  breast  of  a 
Dangler.  Well,  she  entered  the  big  tent  follered  by  some 
Maids  of  Honor,  Medora  wuz  one  of  'em,  and  Courtiers 
and  Lords  in  Waiting,  as  I  hearn  'em  called,  and  took 
up  her  position  in  the  centre  of  the  big  tent  on  a  sort 
of  dais,  they  called  it.  I  should  call  it  a  little  platform 
covered  with  a  velvet  rug  with  the  throne  on  it,  a  big 
chair,  I  guess,  covered  with  handsome  drapery.  And 
the  folks  went  up  to  speak  to  her,  lots  of  the  men,  fool- 
ish lookin'  creeters,  too,  Kings  and  Cardinals  and  such, 
knelt  down  at  her  feet  and  kissed  her  hand. 

Thomas  J.  didn't,  no,  indeed!  he  addressed  her  as  I 
remembered  afterwards  as,  "  Your  Royal  Highness."  I 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  261 

never  thought  on't  at  that  time,  or  I  would  mebby  jined 
in  the  play,  but  somebody  pushed  on  ahead  of  Josiah  and 
me,  and  Thomas  J.  and  Maggie  wuz  swep'  on  by  the 
crowd,  so  when  I  paused  before  her  I  jest  sez,  "  How  do 
you  do,  Miss  Greene  Smythe?  "  And,  bein'  all  wrought 
up  about  that  Heathen,  I  couldn't  seem  to  help  tacklin' 
her  then  and  there,  for  I  felt  that  a  delay  of  even  a  day 
or  two  might  be  too  late,  sez  I,  "  You  have  got  a  splendid 
show  here  to-night  and  money  is  flowin'  like  water  for 
that  Heathen,  but  for  mercy  sake  don't  let  that  money 
go  to  him  without  a  letter  goin'  at  the  same  time  to 
warn  that  Heathen  of  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  for  I 
d'no,"  sez  I,  "  but  he  would  break  out  and  kick  higher 
and  devour  more  missionaries  than  ever  if  he  hain't 
warned  in  time." 

She  smiled  sort  o '  queer,  and  Leicester  whispered  sun- 
thin'  to  her  and  sort  o'  giggled,  but  I  wuzn't  goin'  to  be 
danted  by  a  Dangler,  I  turned  my  attention  to  him  for  a 
minute,  "  You  know,"  sez  I,  "  how  soon  pride  can  be 
overthrowed  and  trompled  on." 

His  face  changed  in  a  minute,  the  heels  of  that  colt 
seemed  to  enter  his  stomach  agin,  and  he  looked  brow- 
beat and  mortified.  The  Danglers  behind  her  clapped 
their  hands  softly  and  seemed  to  enjoy  my  remarks  dret- 
fully.  But  the  crowd  wuz  pressin'  on  my  rear  and  time 
wuz  passin',  and  I  sez  agin:  "  Come  and  see  me  if  you 
can,  before  you  send  that  money;  I  have  got  a  number  of 
Bible  verses  I  would  love  to  put  in  that  letter,  and  a  few 
tracks." 

She  smiled  agin  that  sort  of  a  queer  smile,  and  the 
crowd  bore  us  on,  I  feelin'  the  sweet  calm  of  one  who 
hasn't  shrunk  from  duty.  Well,  Josiah  wuz  bound  to  go 
into  the  big  tent  where  more  vittles  wuz  spread  out  than 


262  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

it  seemed  a  hull  army  could  eat,  everything  dainty  and 
luxurious  and  rich  wuz  spread  before  us— kroketts, 
pattys,  salads,  cakes  of  every  kind,  some  on  'em  big  as 
a  big  cheese,  all  covered  with  wreathes  of  posies  made  in 
the  frostin',  and  smaller  ones  of  every  shape  and  kind, 
and  jellies  heaped  up  in  every  color  and  form,  all  on  'em 
pretty,  and  moulds  of  ice-cream  of  all  colors,  frozen  in 
pyramids  and  stars  and  musical  instruments  and  every- 
thing else,  and  great  banks  of  flowers  banked  up  behind 
'em,  and  tall  vases  of  flowers  standing  amongst  'em,  it 
wuz  a  sight,  a  sight. 

Josiah  enjoyed  himself  here  the  best  that  ever  wuz,  and 
we  had  a  quiet  corner  all  to  ourselves,  but  anon,  when  so 
much  time  had  passed  that  I  fondly  imagined  his  hunger 
must  be  slaked,  the  crowd  had  come  in  till  the  tent  wuz 
full,  and  one  man  behind  us  spoke  to  another  one:  "  The 
wine  flows  here  to-night  like  water." 

"  Yes,  champagne,  too;  this  spread  must  cost  some- 
thing." 

"  Yes,"  sez  the  other,  "  I  guess  old  Greene  Smythe 
will  realize  it  when  the  bills  come  in." 

But  I  waited  to  hear  no  more.  I  ketched  holt  of  Jo- 
siah's  arm,  and  sez  I,  "  Let  us  flee  from  this  place  to 
once!  " 

And  he  sez,  "  Why!  " 

And  I  sez,  "  Ask  no  questions  but  f oiler  me."  He 
hung  back,  but  see  I  wuz  firm.  I  had  noticed  that  folks 
wuz  drinkin'  sunthin'  out  of  glasses,  not  good,  respect- 
able coffee  like  my  pardner  and  me,  but  spozed  it  wuz 
lemonade  or  sweetened  water  and  vinegar,  little  did  I 
think  I  had  got  into  a  winebibbers'  resort.  But  I  see 
it  wuz  too  true,  for  as  we  went  out  of  the  tent  on  an- 
other side  I  see  a  punch  bowl  as  big  as  our  caldron  kettle 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  263 

and  two  pretty  girls  ladlin'  out  the  wretched  stuff  to  the 
waitin'  crowd.  We  didn't  leave  a  minute  too  soon,  but 
after  we  got  outside  Josiah  sez: 

"  Now,  will  you  tell  why  you  snaked  a  hungry  man 
away  from  his  food?  If  it  wuz  anything  besides  pure 
meanness  now  is  your  time  to  tell  it." 

So  I  told  him  the  fearful  fact,  and  sez,  "  Josiah  Allen, 
look  not  upon  wine  when  it  is  read." 

"  Champagne  hain't  red,  nor  punch,  nuther." 

"  Its  effects  are  red  with  heart's  blood  all  the  same." 

"  Dum  it  all!  "  sez  he,  "  don't  you  spoze  I  know 
enough  to  not  drink  liquor  when  I  am  a  Good  Templar?  " 

Sez  I,  "  Better  men  than  you  have  been  drawn  away 
from  the  straight  path,  Josiah.  Look  at  David,"  and  I 
wuz  jest  about  to  bring  up  Solomon  and  Noah,  but  he 
interrupted : 

"  I  hain't  goin'  into  no  Bible  controversy  at  this  time 
of  night,  nor  no  dum  W.  C.  T.  U,  talk." 

"  Time  of  night,"  sez  I;  "  well  said,  Josiah  Allen.  Do 
you  realize  it  is  after  twelve  P.?  We  can't  git  home  till 
after  half -past  one  if  we  start  this  minute." 

He  recognized  the  wisdom  of  my  remark,  but  still  han- 
kered, I  could  see,  for  some  more  vittles.  And  knowin' 
the  needecessity  of  the  case,  I  sez,  "  It  won't  take  me 
but  a  minute  to  bile  the  tea-kettle;  I  will  git  supper  after 
we  git  home;  I  have  got  everything  baked  up."  At  this 
remark  he  yielded,  and  we  walked  along  arm  in  arm, 
for  I  still  felt  there  wuz  danger  of  his  breakin'  away 
from  me  and  goin'  back  into  that  place  of  temptation, 
and  as  we  went  by  a  good-sized  tent,  standin'  a  little  to 
one  side,  I  heard  the  voice  as  of  one  elocutin',  and  I 
immegiately  sez  to  Josiah,  "  Less  go  in  here  a  minute,  I 
dearly  love  eloquence." 


264  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

"  Yes,"  sez  he,  "  I  can  go  in  and  hear  '  Curfew  Must 
Not  Ring  To-Night,'  it  will  be  a  dretful  treat  I  "  and  he 
added  bitterly,  "  there  hain't  a  dog  in  Jonesville  but 
what  knows  that,  and  will  run  from  it;  but  I  can  tell  you, 
Samantha  Allen,  Curfew  will  git  tired  of  ringin'  for  us 
if  we  don't  start  some  time." 

Sez  I  mildly,  "  I  love  to  see  folks  act  with  some  even- 
ness. I  couldn't  git  you  started  from  bodily  food  a  few 
minutes  ago,  and  now  I  want  to  feed  my  mind  hunger 
a  little  you  are  in  a  dretful  tew  to  start." 

"  Well,  come  on  then,"  he  sez.  "  I  may  as  well  starve 
here  as  on  the  road!  "  and  he  hurried  me  into  the  tent. 
But  it  wuzn't  "  Curfew  Musn't  Eing  To-Night,"  it  wuz 
another  piece,  a  sort  of  a  tragedy,  and  spoke  real  good; 
the  young  woman  did  first  rate. 

Then  the  band  played  another  piece,  and  then  there 
wuz  a  great  buzz  of  talkin'  and  laughin'  goin*  on,  but 
pretty  soon  Miss  Greene  Smythe,  w^o  had  come  in  on  one 
side  of  the  tent  with  her  Danglers  danglin'  and  her 
Lords  in  Waitin'  a-waitin'  and  her  Maids  of  Honor 
honerin',  etc,  etc.,  she  stepped  forward  a  little  and  sort 
o '  shooed  down  the  biggest  noise  about  her,  and  when  it 
wuz  kinder  still  she  said: 

"  We  are  going  to  have  a  great  treat;  we  are  going  to 
have  some  b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l  music." 

At  that  a  girl  minced  forward  with  kinder  nippy  steps 
and  planted  herself  on  the  little  raised  platform  and  be- 
gun to  yell  and  scream  at  the  very  top  of  her  voice  with 
her  face  lookin'  like  a  trout  havin'  a  fit,  you  know  what 
immense  mouths  they've  got.  Well,  if  yellin'  wuz  a  treat 
we  got  it.  That  female  jest  yelled  herself  red  as  blood  in 
the  face,  and  on  the  very  topmost  notes  lifted  herself  up 
on  her  toes  and  shook  herself  as  if  she  wuz  goin'  into  a 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  265 

spazzum,  and  finally  stepped  back  fairly  exhausted  and 
pantin'.  Miss  Greene  Smythe  advanced  and  shook  hands 
with  her  and  told  her  what  a  sweet  treat  they  had 
had,  and  how  splendidly  in  voice  she  wuz  to-night.  And 
so  she  wuz  if  a  car  whistle  or  gong  is  ever  in  voice  when 
it  is  rippin'  out  its  loudest,  ear-pan-crushinest  notes. 

But  I  wuz  wonderin*  all  the  time  when  the  music  that 
Miss  Greene  Smythe  had  spoke  about  wuz  goin'  to  com- 
mence, and  I  turned  and  accosted  a  female  woman  who 
stood  right  by  the  side  of  me,  and  who  seemed  to  be 
guardin'  a  brood  of  girls,  she  seemed  to  be  watchin'  'em 
as  clost  as  any  old  hen  ever  watched  a  brood  of  ducks 
she'd  hatched,  but  kinder  mistrusted,  not  knowin'  what 
move  they  might  make. 

But  thinkses  I  she'd  better  begun  her  watchin'  and 
care  before  she  left  home,  for  of  all  the  sights  they  wuz 
I  never  see  since  I  wuz  weaned,  I  don't  believe  I  ever  see 
such  low  necks  in  my  hull  life  as  they  had,  the  hull  ca- 
boodle on  'em.  Why,  my  pardner  jest  glanced  at  'em 
and  blushed  as  red  as  a  piney.  I  wuz  proud  on  him 
to  see  his  modesty,  and  instinctively  stepped  still  furder 
between  him  and  them.  The  Ma's  neck  wuz  kinder  fat 
and  flabby  and  wrinkly,  and  the  girls',  the  most  on  'em, 
wuz  real  boney  and  scrawny.  But  one  on  'em  wuz  quite 
fat  and  had  a  real  pretty  figger,  I  know,  for  I  could  see 
the  hull  on  it,  bones,  fat  or  lean,  they  wuz  all  showed 
off  to  be  read  by  man  or  woman.  But  to  resoom.  I 
asked  this  woman  when  the  music  wuz  goin'  to  com- 
mence? 

"  Why,"  sez  she,  wonderin',  "  we've  had  it." 

Sez  I,  "  Wuz  that  music?  " 

She  said,  "  Yes." 

11  Well,"  sez  I,  "  I  have  seen  strange  sights  since  I 


266  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

come  here  and  hearn  strange  things,  but  none  stranger 
than  that,  if  that  wuz  music.  "Why,"  sez  I,  "  I  might 
have  heard  it  for  years  and  years  and  never  mistrusted 
what  it  wuz." 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  it  wuz  music,  and  be-a-utiful." 

Jest  then  a  young  feller  come  in  with  a  dark,  eager, 
earnest  face  and  sung  a  love  song. 

That  wuz  music.  It  wuz  a  song  about  how  a  slave 
loved  a  Princess,  and  as  you  heard  it  you  could  almost 
see  the  shinin'  palm  boughs,  the  splash  of  the  fountain, 
the  white,  shinin'  walks  of  the  palace,  and  the  beautiful 
dark-eyed  Princess  lookin'  down  from  her  latticed  win- 
dow listenin'  to  the  words,  every  one  of  'em  had  a  heart 
throb,  a  heart  ache  in  it.  For  he  said  in  the  song  that  he 
wuz  of  a  race,  "  Who  if  they  loved  must  die."  Well, 
they  didn't  seem  to  like  that  very  well,  but  I  did,  it  made 
my  heart  ache  and  beat,  with  its  passion  and  its  power. 

And  then  a  modest,  refined  lookin'  woman  with  her 
neck  and  arms  covered  up  considerable,  jest  as  they 
should  be  outside  of  bedrooms,  come  forward  modestly 
and  recited  a  poem,  as  pitiful  a  thing  as  I  ever  hearn  in 
my  life.  About  how  a  great,  strong,  manly,  lovin*  heart 
wuz  cheated  out  of  its  happiness,  its  very  life,  by  the 
vanity  and  sinfulness  of  a  woman  and  the  villiany  of  a 
man,  of  how  he  patient  bore  his  sorrow,  kneelin'  and 
prayin'  for  her,  and  blessin'  her  for  bearin'  with  him  all 
the  time  she  did,  and  how  for  his  sake  he  begged  the 
Lord  to  forgive  her  for  runnin'  off  with  the  other  man 
and  leavin'  her  husband  and  child.  He  lived  on  heart- 
broken, but  pious  and  good  as  they  make  'em,  loved 
her  all  through  her  life  of  sin  and  shame,  and  then,  when 
the  villian  deserted  her  and  she  wuz  dyin'  alone,  he  went 
to  her  and  held  her  dyin'  head  on  his  bosom,  and  rared 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  267 

up  a  stun  above  her  poor  guilty  head  and  carved  on  it 
the  sacred  name  of  "  Wife." 

Why,  they  wuzn't  a  dry  eye  in  my  head,  not  one,  when 
she  had  finished  it.  And,  though  mebby  it  wouldn't  be 
my  first  choice  to  recite  to  an  evenin'  party,  still  I  wuz 
jest  melted  down  by  it,  and  so  wuz  Josiah  Allen,  as  I 
glanced  round  at  him  he  wuz  jest  puttin'  his  bandanna 
back  into  his  pocket  and  wuz  winkin'  hard,  he  has  got  a 
heart,  Josiah  Allen  has. 

But  all  of  a  sudden,  jest  before  she  got  through  re- 
citin'  it,  this  woman  with  the  brood  of  girls  gathered 
'em  in  front  of  her,  as  if  danger  wuz  behind  her,  and 
shooed  'em  out  of  the  room.  And  I  declare  for  it,  and  I 
am  tellin'  the  truth,  as  she  stood  up  sweepin'  out,  I 
see  way  down  below  their  shoulder  blades,  every  single 
blade.  They  went  into  the  room  where  they  wuz  dan- 
cing, it  wuz  there  they  sought  safety  from  indelicacy 
and  unrefined  suggestions,  but  for  them  that  see  'em 
come  in  the  sight  wuz  fur  worse  than  the  back  view,  yes 
fur  worse. 

But  no  sooner  did  the  anxious  mother  chase  her  brood 
out  in  front  of  her  than  another  woman,  whose  dress 
wuz  so  low  it  is  a  wonder  it  held  onto  her  till  she  got 
out,  she  swep'  out  with  her  two  daughters  in  front  of 
her,  one  on  'em  dressed  in  a  string  of  pearls  and  a  ostrich 
tip,  and  the  other  one  bare  as  she  wuz  born  almost  from 
her  waist  up,  every  mite  of  their  dresses  almost  layin* 
on  the  carpet.  They  fled  from  the  contagion  of  in- 
delicacy into  the  ballroom,  and  went  to  talkin'  Bible 
together  and  condemnin'  bitterly  the  low,  immodest 
woman  who  had  dared  to  recite  such  a  poem  before  their 
innocent  daughters.  They  had  guarded  'em  so,  they 
said  from  everything  and  anything  that  could  by  any 


268  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

possibility  suggest  an  indelicate  thought  or  act,  and  now 
in  one  moment  to  have  the  veil  dropped  from  their  inno- 
cent eyes. 

And  thus  the  mothers  complained  until  jest  such  men 
as  the  verses  described  walked  up  and  put  their  arms 
round  the  prettiest  and  most  naked  of  the  girls,  held 
'em  as  close  to  their  vile  hearts  as  if  they  wuz  runnin' 
away  with  'em,  and  jumped  round  the  room  with  'em,  the 
happy  mothers  lookin'  on  and  smilin'  placidly,  seein' 
the  girls'  pretty  flushed  faces  layin'  right  up  against  the 
villians'  breastbones.  And  it  wuzn't  a  great  while  before 
all  the  girls  had  some  strangers'  arms  round  'em  and 
wuz  prancin'  round  the  room. 

Well,  a  man  I  had  met  in  Loontown  come  up  to  me  and 
asked  me  sunthin'  about  my  books,  and  that  seemed  to 
set  the  fashion,  for  I  don't  know  how  many  come  up 
to  me  and  asked  me  about  'em.  And  most  every  one  on 
'em  said  they  had  read  my  books  to  a  dyin'  friend,  or  to 
the  aged,  them  that  had  lost  their  minds,  as  fur  as  I  could 
make  out,  or  wuz  so  fur  gone  they  couldn't  sense  their 
trouble.  But  I  thanked  'em,  every  one  on  'em,  and  felt 
it,  too,  it  is  so  sweet  to  think  on  that  you  have  soothed 
last  hours  of  the  mentally  shattered  and  the  infirm  in 
intellect,  I  got  quite  a  lot  of  comfort  out  of  the  thought. 

Two  or  three  wimmen  there  had  had  friends  who  had 
read  'em,  they  wuz  in  distant  parts  of  the  country,  but 
I  wuz  glad  to  hear  from  'em  and  hear  they  had  read  'em. 
And  then  three  or  four,  and  mebby  more,  asked  me  if  I 
lived  in  Boston;  I  don't  know  what  under  the  sun  there 
wuz  about  me  that  put  that  thought  into  their  heads, 
unless  it  wuz  my  bunnet,  the  ribbin  bow  on  it  did  rise 
up  noble  and  sort  of  majestic  above  my  fore-top;  mebby 
it  put  'em  in  mind  of  Bunker  Hill.  I  knew  it  wuz  a  bun- 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  269 

net  calculated  to  impress  the  beholder  almost  with  awe, 
it  wuz  so  sort  o'  high  headed  and  literary  lookin'.  Jo- 
siah  didn't  want  me  to  git  it,  but  I  knew  it  would  give 
me  a  high  learnt  look,  and,  when  they  asked  me  if  I  lived 
in  Boston,  I  felt  I  had  made  a  good  choice. 

Well,  we  got  home  perfectly  beat  out,  and  my  pard- 
ner  fearfully  cross,  though,  as  I  wuz  as  good  as  my  word 
and  got  him  a  good  but  hasty  lunch,  his  crossness  moder- 
ated and  he  went  to  bed  in  considerable  good  sperits,  and 
we  slep'  late  the  next  day  and  no  serious  bad  results  fol- 
lered. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

[HE  time  drawed  near  for  me  to  go  to  Tamer's 
and  visit  with  Celestine,  and  I  cooked  up 
good  vittles  and  sights  of  'em,  knowin'  that 
in  my  absence  no  paneky  would  soothe  like 
that.  I  didn't  mean  to  stay  but  two  nights, 
but  didn't  know  what  might  happen,  they  wuz  such  cases 
to  urge  me  to  stay  when  I  got  there. 

I  arrove  on  the  appinted  day  with  no  casualities,  and 
they  wuz  dretful  glad  to  see  me,  Anna  and  Jack  specially, 
Tamer  and  Cicero  seemed  to  be  sort  o'  absent-minded, 
I  most  knew  they  had  got  holt  of  some  new  novel,  and  so 
it  turned  out,  it  wuz  "  The  Roaring  Avenger  of  the 
Bloody  Path  "  that  wuz  under  perusal,  and  they  couldn't 
hardly  brook  to  have  their  attentions  drawed  off  a  min- 
ute, but  Tamer  finished  it  the  afternoon  of  the  day  I  got 
there,  and  then  she  seemed  inclined  to  talk  more,  but  her 
talk  wuz  real  deprestin'.  She  had  got  the  sinevetus  she 
said  beyend  the  doubt. 

And  I  said,  "  Don't  you  believe  you  got  it  runnin' 
after  Arabella?  " 

And  she  said,  with  a  sithe,  "  Mebby  it  wuz  so,  and," 
sez  she,  "  if  it  wuzn't  so  onfashionable  to  keep  house 
without  a  servant  I  wouldn't  keep  her  an  hour,  for  she 
acts  worse  than  ever  and  makes  me  more  trouble  than 
she  duz  good,  enough  sight." 

Celestine  seemed  real  glad  to  see  me  when  she  could 
git  her  attentions  offen  her  landscapes  and  views  and 


'Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  271 

placks  and  things.  She  is  a  tall,  wapey  lookin'  woman 
and  wears  spectacles,  and  I  don't  spoze  she  sees  much 
through  them  specks  only  her  pictures,  and  works  of 
Art,  as  she  calls  'em.  She  don't  seem  to  see  her  little  girl 
hardly  any,  a  sweet,  pretty  child,  too,  a  gentle,  quiet  lit- 
tle thing  with  eyes  that  seem  to  be  on  the  lookout  for 
tender  looks,  and  a  sweet,  sad  mouth  that  seems  sort  o' 
grievin'  for  the  kisses  she  don't  git. 

For  sure  as  I  am  alive  durin'  them  three  days  and  two 
nights  I  wuz  there  I  didn't  see  Celestine  take  one  mite 
of  notice  of  little  Mary,  only  to  hook  up  her  dress  once 
or  twice  and  tie  back  her  hair,  and  she  did  them  in  a 
kind  of  a  absent-minded,  dreamy  way  as  if  the  child's 
waist  might  have  been  a  distant  range  of  mountains,  and 
her  hair  a  waterfall  or  runnin'  stream.  It  wuz  some  such 
color,  anyway,  some  of  the  color  of  water  with  the  gold 
light  of  sunset  burnin'  on  it,  and  it  hung  all  round  her 
sweet  face  in  waves  and  ringlets.  She  wuz  a  dretful 
pretty  child.  And  it  seemed  as  if  I  couldn't  keep  my 
hands  offen  her,  I  wanted  to  hold  her  in  my  arms  and 
pat  down  them  shinin'  tresses  so.  And  it  wuzn't  more'n 
several  minutes,  anyway,  till  she  wuz  nestlin'  up  aginst 
me  and  I  wuz  holdin'  her  real  fondly  on  my  left  side 
while  Jack  wuz  hangin'  round  my  right  side.  He  didn't 
act  jealous  a  mite,  either,  for  he  seemed  to  be  jest  as 
fond  of  little  Mary  as  I  wuz.  They  played  together  real 
good.  And  I  held  that  child  in  my  arms  and  looked  down 
into  the  tender,  confidin'  little  face,  a  sort  of  believin' 
face,  jest  the  sort  I  like,  and  sez  to  myself: 

"  "What  under  the  sun  can  her  Ma  be  thinkin'  of  to  be 
makin'  up  fancy  pictures  and  set  so  much  store  by  'em 
and  slight  the  sweetest  and  prettiest  livin'  picture,  all 
finished  off  perfect,  right  before  her?  "  But  Celestina 


272  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

did,  she  jest  slighted  her,  and  acted  as  if  she  wuzn't  half 
so  much  worth  as  the  blank  pieces  of  canvas  she  handled 
from  day  to  day,  for  them  she  could  cover  with  her  own 
idees  and  images.  It  seemed  queer  to  me,  queer  as  a  dog. 

Anna  wuz  not  in  very  good  sperits,  but  she  went  round 
the  house  good  tempered  if  ruther  sad,  helpin'  her  Ma 
all  she  could,  and,  in  fact,  takin'  the  brunt  of  the  work 
on  herself,  for  Arabeller  wuz  not  to  be  depended  on,  and 
Tamer 's  various  diseases  wuz  worse  and  more  aggra- 
vatin'  than  they  had  been.  Cicero,  as  usual,  wuz  steeped 
to  the  chin  in  cigarettes  and  his  wild  novels  of  bucka- 
neers  and  pirates  and  couldn't  be  depended  on  for  help 
only  at  meal  times,  then  he  come  out  strong  and  helped 
to  make  way  with  the  food  in  a  masterful  way. 

Hamen  and  his  brother  John  wuz  real  busy  about  their 
bizness,  and  I  didn't  see  much  on  'em,  only  at  the  table 
when  they  partook  of  their  food  hastily  and  departed. 
But  Tamer  seemed  to  want  to  make  it  as  pleasant  as  she 
could  for  me,  and  as  Celestine  spent  so  much  time  out- 
doors engrossed  with  her  painting,  she  and  I  had  lots  of 
time  to  visit  together,  though,  as  I  always  did  at  Hamen 's, 
I  see  lots  of  things  I  didn't  fancy,  though  I  hain't  no 
hand  to  complain. 

I  don't  believe  in  relations  findin'  fault  with  each 
other,  and  I  am  very  close  mouthed,  but  of  course  I  can 't 
help  seein'  every  time  I  am  there  that  Tamer  is  sot  and 
overbearin'  and  very  onreasonable.  Why,  she  don't 
think  that  Tirzah  Ann  is  the  best  housekeeper  in  Jones- 
ville,  she  jest  the  same  as  told  me  there  wuz  others  jest 
as  good.  And  she  believes  that  in  the  big  cities  there  is 
lawyers  that  know  as  much  as  our  Thomas  Jefferson. 

I  pity  Tamer  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  she  is  failin' 
in  her  mind.  But  she  can't  help  it,  she  has  weakened  her 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  273 

faculties,  I  think,  broodin'  on  her  diseases,  and  then  half 
the  time  she  thinks  she  is  a  female  Amazon.  And  how  I 
do  pity  little  Jack!  Tamer  kep'  the  best  sort  of  clothes 
on  him,  dressed  and  fed  him  jest  as  well  as  a  child  could 
be,  only  when  she  wuz  down  with  the  most  curiousest  of 
her  diseases,  or  in  one  of  her  tempers. 

But  while,  as  I  have  said,  she  took  good  care  of  his 
body,  oh!  how  she  neglected  and  misused  the  mind,  the 
heart,  the  imagination,  the  true  life  of  little  Jack,  mis- 
used it  like  a  dog.  She  would  fly  at  him  and  whip  him 
unmercifully  for  what  he  wuzn't  to  blame  for,  and  then 
set  over  one  of  her  novels  and  let  him  go  on  with  what 
he  ort  to  have  been  stopped  doin'.  To  use  the  words  of 
another,  she  let  him  do  the  things  he  ortn't  to  do  and 
whipped  him  for  what  he  ort.  Her  mind  wuz  such. 

Now,  to  give  a  sample  of  her  onjestice,  the  very  next 
day  after  I  wuz  there  Jack  wuz  sent  to  a  neighbor's  on  a 
errent.  His  mother  told  him  to  go  cross  lots,  she  wuz  in 
such  a  hurry  to  have  her  errent  done  she  didn  't  give  him 
enough  particulars  about  the  way,  and  when  the  poor 
little  creeter  wuz  doin'  jest  the  best  he  could  and  hurryin' 
on  jest  as  near  as  he  could  where  his  Ma  told  him  to  go, 
he  got  into  a  swampy  place  and  got  his  best  clothes  all 
dirty  and  wuz  too  late  to  do  his  errent. 

Tamer  Ann  wanted  to  send  by  the  neighbor  to  the 
city  where  he  wuz  goin'  for  a  certain  new  blood  curdlin* 
novel,  jest  issued,  and,  owin'  to  Jack's  misfortune  in 
losin'  his  way  when  he  got  there,  the  man  wuz  gone. 
And  when  poor  Jack  come  meachin'  home  with  his  nice 
cothes  all  muddy  and  wet,  as  forlorn  lookin'  a  little  cree- 
ter as  I  ever  see,  Tamer  wuz  voylently  mad  about  his 
clothes,  and  when  he  said  (for  Jack  is  naturally  truthful) 


274  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

that  he  got  there  too  late  to  do  the  errent,  Tamer's  face 
got  red  as  blood  with  white  patches  shinin'  through  the 
red,  like  a  lurid  sky  with  white  thunder  caps  showin'  on 
it,  and  she  took  Jack  by  the  hand  and  jerked  him  up  the 
stairs  into  her  own  room. 

She  jest  tore  the  clothes  off  en  him,  as  I  learn  after- 
wards, and  whipped  him  omnercifully,  first  with  her 
hand,  and  then  afterwards,  as  Jack  wouldn't  own  up  that 
he  had  been  wicked  and  wuz  sorry  for  it,  she  grew  mad- 
der and  madder,  and  voyalenter  and  voyalenter,  and 
ketched  off  her  slipper,  not  a  soft  one  (that  might  be 
applied  with  safety  to  the  place  best  fitted  for  such 
blows),  but  one  with  a  high  French  heel,  and  she  struck 
Jack  with  that  till  great  blue  marks  wuz  left  on  his  lit- 
tle quiverin',  shrinkin'  body. 

She  whipped  him  till  the  sharp  pain  made  him  yield, 
as  greater  heroes  have  before,  and  he  owned  up  that  he 
had  been  awful  wicked  and  wuz  sorry.  And  then  Tamer 
wuz  satisfied  and  dressed  Jack  in  a  handsome  suit  and 
give  him  half  a  pound  of  candy  and  a  lot  of  indigestible 
fruit  (which  he  threw  up  with  great  pain  before  mid- 
night), and  come  down  lookin'  perfectly  satisfied  and 
contented,  and  Jack  went  out  to  divide  his  spoils  with 
Mary,  jest  as  many  a  outwardly  successful  hero  has 
brung  home  his  spoils  obtained  by  truckling  to  Evil  to 
lavish  on  some  beloved  female.  And  that  evenin',  jest 
before  sundown,  I  give  Tamer  a-talkin'  to,  sez  I,  "  Jack 
thought  he  wuz  doing  right,  he  thought  he  wuz  on  the 
right  road." 

"  If  he  had  looked  and  kep'  his  mind  on  it  all  the  time 
he  would  have  come  out  right." 

Sez  I,  "  Tamer  Ann,  mebby  Jack  didn't  think  to  look." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  275 

"  Well,  I'll  let  you  know  that  Jack  has  got  to  think. 
I'll  whip  him  jest  as  hard  for  not  thinkin'  as  I  will  for 
anything  else,  what  bizness  has  he  not  to  think  ? ' ' 

Sez  I,  ' '  Tamer  Ann,  do  you  and  I  always  think  before 
we  do  things?  " 

"  I  can't  speak  for  you,"  sez  she,  "  but  as  for  me,  I 
always  do." 

Sez  I,  "Is  it  always  easy  for  you  to  decide  right, 
Tamer,  when  two  or  three  paths  are  in  front  of  you  to 
decide  from?  Do  you  always  choose  the  right  one?  " 

"  I  always  have!  "  sez  she  severely. 

"  "Well,"  sez  I,  "  you're  different  from  most  folks; 
most  of  us  git  into  the  wrong  paths  time  and  agin,  and 
go  blunderin'  along  over  rocks  and  sand  and  stun  and 
weeds,  etc.,  and  we  may  count  ourselves  happy  if  we  ever 
git  back  into  the  right  road  agin. ' ' 

"  Nell,"  sez  Tamer,  "  Jack  might  have  known  he  wuz 
goin'  wrong,  it  wuzn't  a  blunder,  he  chose  deliberate." 

Sez  I,  "  Jack  said  he  thought  he  wuz  goin'  right,  and 
I  believe  him.  But  even  if  he  had  chosen  the  wrong  road 
deliberate,  lots  of  us  look  back  onto  times  when  we  had 
to  choose  different  paths  to  walk  in,  and  deliberately, 
though  unbeknown  to  us,  chose  the  wrong  way.  There 
is  so  many  paths  to  choose  from  in  this  life,  the  roads 
branch  out  into  so  many  different  ways,  why,  if  the  com- 
pass had  as  many  pints  on  it  as  the  porcupine  has  quills 
it  couldn't  begin  to  pint  to  the  different  paths  we  have 
to  choose  from. 

" Sometimes,"  sez  I,  growin'  real  eloquent,  "  they  go 
down  into  the  shadows  with  the  pale  shapes  of  Renuncia- 
tion and  Martyrdom,  and  a  cross  shinin'  faint  and  far 
down  in  the  gloom.  Some  through  the  garden  of  the 
gods,  where  the  air  is  fine  and  clear,  and  music  and 


276  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

chanted  song  float  along  down  the  beautiful  pathway. 
Some  through  the  crowds  of  bizness,  and  gay  pleasure- 
seekers'  through  pleasures  and  palaces.  Some  into  the 
dark  highways,  where  Want  and  Misery  walk  hand  in 
hand.  Some  down  into  the  tomb,  some  up  the  mount  of 
crucifixion.  There  are  paths,  long,  cold,  shinin',  that  go 
up  the  mountain  side,  where  the  glitterin'  tops  gleam  and 
beckon,  and  we  are  willin'  to  drop  every  weight  that 
would  hender  us  from  climbin'. 

"  Oh,  those  times  to  look  back  upon  when  life  wuz  to 
be  chosen,  or  what  proved  to  be  (onbeknown  to  us)  a 
livin'  death!  How  calm  the  fields  lay  under  the  light  of 
that  autumn  sky,  long  flat  fields,  green  and  calm  and 
stretchin'  back  to  the  quiet  woods.  How  the  road  in 
front  lengthened  out  in  a  long,  shining  yellow-brown  rib- 
bon with  cozy  sheltered  homes  layin'  by  its  side.  How 
soft  and  cloud  flecked  wuz  the  sky  overhead,  broodin' 
down  over  the  sheltered  home  nests.  Only  a  question  to 
be  made  and  answered,  a  breath  of  air,  light  thing  indeed, 
lighter  that  the  lightest  fleck  of  soft  blue-gray  cloud 
overhead,  maybe  a  few  tears,  a  farewell  not  so  loud  as 
the  lowest  bird  song  in  the  branches  along  the  brown 
wayside  fences.  Ah!  but  has  there  not  been  times  since 
when  that  low  word  has  risen  into  a  mighty  voice  that 
filled  the  skies  of  the  worlds,  this  world  and  the  on- 
known?  The  great  dread  that  it  wuz  indeed  final,  that 
nowhere,  nowhere  could  the  lives  that  touched  each 
other,  and  then  drifted  so  wide  asunder,  would  ever  meet 
side  by  side  agin. 

"  Oh,  the  blindness,  the  fatal  blindness  of  ignorance, 
the  mistakes  that  arise  from  pride,  from  ambition,  from 
any  and  every  cause,  and  whose  fatality  cannot  be  seen 
until  afterward,  until  the  sun  has  gone  down  and  the 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  277 

night  brings  reflection  and— heartache!  These  are  the 
true  tragedies  of  life,  enacted  by  them  who  weep  with 
no  grave  for  their  tears  to  fall  upon.  These  are  the  real 
mourners  who  do  not  go  about  the  streets,  but  who  sit 
inside  the  gayly  curtained  box  and  see  the  play  of  life 
go  on  before  them  till  the  lights  are  put  out,  the  curtain 
down,  and  the  real  play  of  life  is  at  an  end. 

* '  But  they  watch  the  gayly  plumed  puppets  play  and 
act  their  part,  and  applaud  and  smile  and  the  play  goes 
on.  Poor  playgoers,  poor  actors  on  the  stage,  all,  all 
waiting  for  the  finale  of  the  seen. 

"  Everywhere,  everywhere,  on  each  side,  before  us, 
under  us,  over  us,  the  roads  branch  off,  and  we  with  our 
poor,  weak  eyesight  can't  choose  right  time  and  agin, 
we  can't  and  don't.  Even  with  the  experience  of  ma- 
turity, with  all  the  wisdom  gathered  from  the  words  of 
them  who  have  gone  the  way  before,  with  all  the  experi- 
ence of  the  travelers  through  the  past  to  guide  us,  with 
the  lamp  of  Caution  in  our  hand,  the  shoes  of  Watchful- 
ness to  creep  along  on,  and  the  great  book  of  God's  will 
open  before  us,  His  strength  to  lean  on— if  with  all  these 
helps  we  stumble  and  blunder,  how  can  we  condemn  the 
children  so  harshly,  with  no  guide  but  the  waverin'  will, 
the  undeveloped  conscience  and  understanding  if  they 
make  mistakes? 

"  And  you  whipped  Jack,"  sez  I  impressively,  "  for 
making  just  a  little  mistake;  you  whipped  him  till  his 
poor  back  is  black  and  blue,  Tamer." 

11  I  didn't  mean  to  whip  so  hard,  Cousin  Samantha, 
but  my  temper  got  up  so  after  I  got  to  whippin*  him 
because  he  wouldn't  own  that  he  had  been  wicked  and 
say  he  wuz  sorry  for  it,  that  I  whipped  him  harder  than 
I  meant  to." 


278  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

Sez  I,  "  Then  you  wuz  whippin'  him  for  not  tellin*  a 
lie,  and  you  made  him  tell  one,  for,  at  last,  to  stop  the 
cruel  sting  of  the  blows  on  his  poor  little  back,  you  did 
finally  succeed  in  makin'  him  say  he  had  been  wicked, 
when  he  hadn't  been,  and  sorry,  when  he  wuzn't  sorry, 
poor  little  creeter!  " 

"  You  always  take  Jack's  part,  Samantha." 

"  Not  before  Jack,  Tamer  Smith. " 

"  No,  you  don't  say  anything  before  him,  but  you 
kinder  act  in  such  a  way  that  he  knows  you  are  on  his 
side,  that  you  are  his  friend." 

11  Well,  I  should  think  he  needed  one,  poor  little  cree- 
ter! " 

"  Don't  you  spoze,  Samantha  Allen,  a  mother  knows 
what  is  best  and  right  for  her  children?  Don't  you  spoze 
she  acts  for  his  best  good?  " 

"  Not  when  she  leaves  blue,  livid  marks  on  his  back, 
not  when  she  whips  him  into  tellin'  a  lie." 

"  What  you  mean  by  that,  I  don't  know,"  sez  Tamer. 

"  He  wuzn't  sorry,"  sez  I;  "  not  a  particle,  and  you 
whipped  him  till  he  said  he  wuz." 

11  Well,  he  ought  to  be  sorry  if  he  wuzn't,  and  I  would 
like  to  know  what  you  would  have  me  do." 

"  I  would  have  you  never  make  a  child  say  a  thing 
that  wuzn't  true,  and  if  you  had  sot  your  mind  on  havin' 
him  say  he  wuz  sorry,  reason  with  him  and  tell  him  why 
he  ort  to  be  sorry  till  he  wuz  sorry.  But  you  jest  sprung 
at  him  and  whipped  him,  as  sudden  and  voyalent  as  a 
hailstorm  that  ravages  down  on  a  flower  garden,  cuttin' 
and  peltin'  and  slashin'  and  killin'  all  the  dainty  leaves 
and  blossoms.  And  it  didn't  do  any  more  good  and  jest 
as  much  hurt  as  that  voyalent  storm  would,  with  no  soft 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  279 

rain  to  go  down  to  the  root  of  the  flowers  and  nourish 
'em. 

"  Why,  if  them  posies  ever  lift  their  heads  agin,  which 
many  of  'em  won't,  there  will  be  on  'em  the  cuts  and 
scars  of  the  icy,  drivin'  hailstuns.  If  the  sweet  posies 
of  Truth  and  Candor  and  Honesty  hain't  entirely  cut 
down  and  pelted  out  of  sight  in  Jack's  poor  little  soul 
I'll  be  glad  on't,  but  if  they  do  live,  Tamer  Ann,  there 
will  be  cuts  and  scars  on  'em,  and  I'd  advise  you  as  a 
friend  to  turn  short  round  and  do  different  by  him. ' ' 

Sez  Tamer,  tosstin'  her  head,  "  I  shall  probable  do  as 
I  like  with  my  own  child,  he  is  mine. ' ' 

Sez  I, ' '  Tamer  Smith,  there  is  where  you  make  another 
mistake.  He  is  not  yours,  as  you  may  find  out  to  your 
sorrow  some  day,  he  belongs  to  Another  who  let  you  take 
him  for  a  spell,  to  train  him  up  for  higher  service.  He 
will  claim  him  agin  when  He  gits  ready." 

And,  though  I  didn't  say  it  outside  of  me,  I  said  it  in- 
side, that  I  should  be  most  glad  if  He  would  take  him, 
much  as  I  loved  him.  It  would  be  such  a  comfort,  I 
thought,  to  lay  my  head  down  at  night  on  my  goose- 
feather  pillow  and  think  that  dear  little  Jack  wuz  safe. 
Safe  from  the  cruel  blows  that  fell  on  him  anywhere, 
hard  blows  that  beat  the  little,  tender  body  and  soft, 
dimpled  limbs,  leavin'  blue,  livid  marks  where  there 
should  be  nothin'  but  dimples.  Safe  from  the  deeper 
marks  and  scars  that  deface  the  eager,  seekin'  mind,  the 
active,  impressionable  nature,  the  little  white  soul.  But 
while  I  wuz  so  sorry  for  Jack  that  my  heart  most  melted 
inside  of  me  and  the  tears  run  down  my  face  many  a 
time  faster  than  they  did  down  Jack 's  when  I  would  hear 
Tamer  whippin'  him,  and  he  cryin' 


280  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

Though  I  wuz  sorry  for  Jack  and  pitiful  towards  him, 
as  pitiful  could  be,  I  tried  to  be  and  wuz  about  half  the 
time,  I  should  say,  sorry  for  Tamer,  or  mebby  it  wuz  a 
quarter  of  the  time  I  wuz  sorry  for  her,  or  half  a  quarter, 
I  can't  tell  exactly,  because  I  would  have  my  ups  and 
downs  about  it,  for  Jack  it  wuz  a  full,  deep,  complete 
pity  and  sympathy  and  sorrow  all  the  time.  But  some- 
times I  would  say  to  myself,  now  Tamer  has  got  a  bad 
temper,  she  got  it  through  Heaven  only  knows  by  what 
cause,  ancestral  or  local.  If  it  come  down  to  her  with  her 
Roman  nose  and  thin  lips  from  some  ancestor,  then  how 
fur  is  she  to  blame  for  not  subduin*  it  entirely?  No 
amount  of  rubbin'  down  and  smoothin'  and  grindin' 
could  make  that  nose  of  hers  into  a  Greecy  one.  No 
amount  of  stimulatin'  liniment  could  make  them  thin 
lips  soften  out  into  more  generous  and  sweeter  curves. 
She  might  git  up  early  and  set  up  late  and  she  couldn't 
make  them  changes,  and  who  knows  whether  she  could 
with  all  her  efforts  entirely  soften  and  make  sweet  that 
sour,  dissatisfied  disposition  and  fiery  temper? 

And  then  would  be  the  time,  for  four  or  five  minutes 
mebby,  I  would  be  sorry  for  Tamer.  And  then  agin  I 
would  say  to  myself  she  has  lived  in  a  onreal,  onnatural 
world  and  is  livin'  there  still.  And  when  pirates  and 
burglars  and  murderers  and  arsoners  and  rapiners  and 
robbers  and  Injuns  are  continually  roamin'  and  stalkin' 
and  war-whoopin'  and  murderin'  and  dashin'  and  skulk- 
in*  and  prancin'  through  anybody's  brain,  hain't  it  rea- 
sonable that  that  brain  should  be  tuckered  out,  too  tuck- 
ered, too  trompled  and  beat  down  to  take  fresh,  vigorous 
thought  on  any  subject? 

I  would  say  in  such  a  wild,  trompled,  dust-blown, 
whoopin'  highway  what  chance  is  there  for  such  a  little 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  281 

mite  of  a  lonesome  wayfarer  as  Jack,  and  I  don't  know 
that  it  is  any  wonder  that  he  is  sometimes  entirely  over- 
looked, and  sometimes  ridin'  up  in  high  ease,  and  some- 
times stomped  and  trompled  on.  Poor  little  creeter! 
And  then  I  would  think  of  her  different  diseases,  and 
wantin'  to  do  my  best  for  her  even  in  my  thoughts  (for, 
though  I  gin  her  advice  through  duty,  I  always  tried  to 
be  charitable  to  her  in  my  mind),  I  would  say  over  to 
myself  some  of  her  most  lengthy  distempers  and  curious 
ones,  I  would  say,  in  a  low,  deep  voice,  "  basler  man- 
getus,  sinevetus,  singletus,  tonsiletus,  pironitus,"  etc., 
etc.,  till  sometimes  I  would  git  real  sorry  for  her  as  much 
as  six  minutes.  Well,  just  such  seens  as  I  have  men- 
tioned I  would  witness  from  hour  to  hour  and  from  day 
to  day,  and  finally  I  got  heartsick  with  lookin'  at  it 
and  wuz  glad  when  the  time  drawed  near  for  me  to  re- 
turn to  the  bosom  of  my  family  (a  gingham  bosom  week 
days,  and  a  fine  linen  one  Sundays,  with  five  pleats  on  a 
side).  Jack  cried  when  I  spoke  of  goin'  home,  but  Cicero 
didn't  care  at  all,  he  wuz  to  school  daytimes,  and  the 
very  minute  he  got  home  at  night  he  wuz  pourin'  over 
them  novels,  and  his  mother  would  proudly  say  to  me : 

1 1  Cicero  is  so  much  like  me,  so  different  from  Jack,  he 
is  so  studious,  such  a  reader,  he  will  make  a  great 
thinker." 

Not  through  the  nourishment  he  gits  from  such  food, 
I  sez  to  myself.  And  I  tried  several  times  to  talk  with 
Cicero  about  readin'  such  books,  but  he  would  look  up  so 
coldy  at  me  from  across  "  The  Boody  Gulch  "  or  "  The 
Fiend  Haunted  Hollow  "  that  it  fairly  stunted  me.  He 
would  look  up  middlin'  respectful  to  hear  my  remon- 
strances about  readin'  'em,  would  listen  with  his  finger 
between  the  pages,  and  the  minute  I  stopped,  resoom  his 


282  Samantha  on  Children's  Bights 

occupation,  in  the  meantime  answerin'  me  nothin',  not 
a  word,  till  I  declare  it  stunted  me,  his  looks  wuz  so  cold 
and  resolved  and  sort  o'  blood  curdlin',  and  his  mean  so 
determined  that  I  wuz  positively  afraid  to  tackle  him. 

But  he  had  his  thoughts,  and  while  I  wuz  there  one 
mornin'  it  wuz  found  that  Cicero  wuz  missin',  he  wuz 
searched  for  one  day  and  two  nights;  Tamer,  in  the  mean- 
time, fallin'  from  one  hysterick  into  another,  the  third 
day  he  wuz  found  in  the  woods  milds  from  there,  on  top 
of  a  big  rock;  he  had  built  a  fortification  in  front  of  it, 
and  barricaded  himself  from  enemies,  had  built  a  sort  of 
an  outlook  in  a  tree  nigh  by,  where  he  could  look  out 
for  prowlin'  foes,  and  wuz  found  there  smokin'  cigarettes 
and  readin*  "  The  Lone  Bandit  of  the  Haunted  Woods  " 
when  he  wuz  discovered.  He  wuz  made  to  go  home, 
though  he  rebelled  and  wuz  moody  for  days  afterwards. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

HOUGH  it  is  shootin'  ahead  of  the  story  and 
resoomin'  forward,  yet  I  d'no  but  I  may 
as  well  tell  of  Cicero's  adventures,  and 
casualities  now  as  any  time,  they  have  got 
to  be  told  anyway,  though  I  hate  to.  But 
seed  sown  has  got  to  spring  up,  and  somebody  has  got  to 
harvest  it.  The  cigarettes  he  smoked  constantly  weak- 
ened and  softened  his  mind,  I  believe,  so  the  blood 
curdlin'  and  dashin'  idees  he  partook  of  in  them  novels 
had  a  good  chance  to  take  root.  Four  tunes  durin'  the 
next  year  did  he  disappear  mysteriously,  jest  as  some 
of  his  heroes  had,  to  be  brought  back  agin  after  a  long 
search  by  his  agonized  parents.  The  first  time  he  run 
away  with  Arabeller  and  wuz  overtook  before  they  had 
gone  any  great  distance,  and  she  soon  afterwards  wuz 
shipped  west  by  her  folks,  to  the  ranch  of  an  uncle  in 
Colorado  to  be  broke  in  as  he  broke  his  mustangs,  and  I 
don't  know  what  did  become  of  her,  married  some  cow- 
boy, I  spoze.  And,  bein'  foiled  in  his  matrimonial  ven- 
tures as  some  of  his  wild  ideals  had,  he  lived  for  booty. 
He  soon  afterwards  disappeared  into  the  forest,  taking 
a  neighbor's  little  boy  with  him,  little  Teddy  Dewey,  and 
sent  back  a  note  to  the  boy's  parents  demandin'  ransom: 
"  Teddy  would  be  sent  home  if  the  sum  of  seventy-five 
cents  wuz  put  at  the  foot  of  a  dead  tree  where  the  shadow 
at  midnight  made  the  shape  of  a  coffin ;  if  the  money  wuz 
deposited  there  at  midnight  Teddy  would  be  found  on 


284  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

their  back  doorsteps  in  the  mornin'."  Of  course  they 
hid  at  this  rondevoo  and  ketched  Cicero  and  his  vic- 
tim, too. 

Once  he  wuz  found  with  a  rifle  fixed  up  in  front  of  the 
cave  rakin'  the  road  in  front,  and  they  had  to  skulk  up 
a  back  way  to  ketch  him. 

The  last  time  he  went  he  took  a  girl  with  him,  one  of 
the  prettiest  little  girls  in  the  neighborhood;  he  took  his 
father's  old  white  horse  into  the  woods  and  a  red  woollen 
shawl  of  his  mother's  and  had  persuaded  the  girl  to  be 
a  Captive  Princess.  And  when  found  she  wuz  settin'  on 
the  horse,  which  wuz  draped  in  scarlet,  as  become  the 
charger  of  a  Princess,  and  Cicero  wuz  walkin'  by  her 
side,  ornamented  with  feathers  and  wampum.  Well,  the 
girl's  father,  bein'  ragin'  mad,  horsewhipped  Cicero  hard, 
and  then  Cicero  organized  a  band  of  banditta,  called  the 
Bloody  League,  that  ravaged  the  man,  stole  his  fruit, 
took  his  horses  out  of  the  lot  and  rode  'em,  and  finally 
drove  his  flocks  off  into  the  woods  and  barricaded  'em 
there. 

That  cost  Hamen  over  forty-two  dollars  to  settle,  and 
Cicero  didn't  git  into  another  scrape  till  most  a  month 
afterwards,  when  he  got  mad  at  one  of  the  neighbor's 
boys  and  shot  him,  as  a  "  dastardly  foe  "  should  be  at- 
tacked by  a  bold  buckaneer  or  bandit.  The  ball  went 
through  the  boy's  leg,  and,  though  it  made  him  lame  for 
life,  his  folks,  bein'  poor,  settled  for  five  hundred  dollars, 
and  Cicero  come  home  from  jail  and  wuz  fresh  for  new 
dime  novels  flavored  by  cigarettes.  The  next  time  he 
got  into  trouble  he  hid  himself  behind  the  bushes  and 
shot  at  the  man  who  had  horsewhipped  him,  and  for 
whom  he  cherished  a  deep,  invincible  hatred  and  thirst 
for  revenge.  He  felt  the  honor  of  the  Bloody  League  wuz 


Samantha  on  Children's  Bights  285 

at  stake,  the  example  of  the  braves  wuz  goadin'  him  on. 
He  hid  behind  a  tall  clump  of  elderberry  bushes  and 
shot  his  dastardly  foe  as  he  wuz  wendin'  his  way  peace- 
fully home  from  church  on  a  Sunday  night.  The  ball 
woonded  the  man,  but  not  fatally,  and  the  next  month 
saw  Cicero  in  prison.  He  wrote  home  for  some  novels 
and  cigarettes,  which  Tamer  Ann  sent  to  solace  him  in 
his  confinement,  and  for  a  time  the  neighborhood  wuz  at 
peace  and  breathed  freely. 

Hamen  wuz  jest  crushed  by  the  blow,  and  went  round 
lookin'  like  an  old  man  before  his  time.  Tamer  had  to  git 
a  new  box  of  novels  to  comfort  her,  and  she  developed 
eight  new  diseases  durin'  the  next  two  months.  It  wuz 
hard  for  'em,  I  pitied  'em  from  nearly  the  bottom  of  my 
heart.  Clear  down  in  the  bottom  of  my  heart  lay  the  con- 
viction that  Tamer  had  brought  on  all  this  sorrow  and 
sin,  had  opened  the  door  and  let  her  bandits  and  banditta 
come  in,  luggin'  all  this  misery  in  with  'em,  and  so  I  told 
Josiah.  Cicero's  reputation  wuz  such  they  couldn't  git 
his  sentence  shortened;  he  went  for  ten  years. 

As  for  the  neighborin'  boy  and  girl,  who  used  to  pour 
over  the  novels  with  Cicero,  durin'  the  next  two  years 
the  boy  shot  another  one  and  killed  him  and  wuz  sent  to 
prison  for  life,  and  the  girl  run  away  with  a  circus  man 
who  had  already  several  wives  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  She  didn't  take  all  her  clothin'  with  her,  for 
she  left  in  haste,  but  she  took  "  The  Disguised  Hero  of 
the  Sawdust;  or,  The  Clown  Prince."  It  wuz  Tamer's 
book. 

The  girl  wuz  brought  back  by  her  father,  but  she  wuz 
ruined  for  life  in  the  estimation  of  her  neighbors,  Tamer 
wouldn't  allow  Anna  to  speak  to  her  if  she  met  her  on 
the  street;  Tamer  wuz  dretful  bitter  now  on  her,  and  said 


286  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

such  low  creeters  ort  to  be  made  examplers  of.    She 
would  have  been  glad  to  had  her  stunned. 

I  myself  pitied  her,  and  in  the  cause  of  duty  told 
Tamer  when  she  wuz  goin'  on  about  her,  I  sez,  "  Tamer, 
your  books  have  been  one  great  cause  of  that  poor  child's 
ruination.  When  her  young  mind  wuz  a  calm,  innocent, 
restful  place  you  jest  led  into  it  to  ravage  round  and 
destroy  and  tromple  and  kick  up  the  ground  all  the 
wild  villians  and  wicked  wimmen  and  guirellas  that  pos- 
sibly could  be  drove  into  it,  they  went  in  and  did  their 
work,  they  destroyed  all  the  sweet  blossoms  of  inno- 
cence, laid  waste  all  the  tender  beauty  and  purity  they 
found  there,  and  put  up  a  wretched  ideal  of  romantic 
wickedness  which  she  strove  to  realize,  and  has,  and  you 
can  set  down  here  and  watch  the  result,  and  the  one  that 
did  the  work  is  the  first  to  condemn  her."  Tamer  wuz 
mad,  but  I  didn't  care.  I  knew  I  wuz  in  the  right  on't, 
and  I  said  jest  the  same  to  her  about  the  boy,  and  agin 
Tamer  Ann  wuz  mad,  and  agin  I  didn't  care,  for  the 
same  reason. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

ELL,  Tom  Willis  kep'  doin'  better  and  bet- 
ter and  wuz  gittin'  a  good  salary,  good 
enough,  with  what  property  he  had,  for  him 
to  marry  on,  and  Anna  kep*  on  lovin*  him 
and  refusin'  to  marry  Von  Crank,  and 
Tamer  kep'  on  naggin'  Anna,  and  things  seemed  to  be  at 
a  standstill.  Since  Cicero  wuz  shut  up  Tamer  had  acted 
worse  than  ever,  so  it  seemed;  the  trouble  instead  of 
softenin'  had  seemed  to  harden  her. 

There  is  some  troubles  you  know  jest  like  that,  kinder 
sharp,  stiff,  humiliatin'  troubles,  and  agin  there  is  heart 
meltin',  heart  breakin*  griefs  that  soften  the  heart  while 
it  well  nigh  breaks  'em.  Well,  Tamer's  wuz  one  of  them 
sharp,  witherin',  humiliatin'  ones,  and  her  heart  seemed 
harder  than  ever  and  she  seemed  more  in  favor  of  Von 
Crank,  more  sot  against  Tom  Willis,  more  hard  on  Jack 
and  more  naggin'.  But  a  change  wuz  to  come,  when  the 
right  time  come  the  Lord  softened  Tamer's  heart,  and 
Anna  went  out  of  her  servitude,  out  of  the  house  of 
bondage  into  the  Land  of  Promise,  into  a  happy  useful 
life  with  the  man  of  her  choice. 
But,  oh,  my  dear  little  Jack!  my  poor  boy! 
But  to  resoom  backwards  agin  and  take  up  the  thread 
of  history,  I  stayed  at  Hamen's  several  days,  visitin'  os- 
tensibly with  Celestine.  For  as  many  as  three  times  a 
day,  when  she  would  be  brung  in  to  her  meals  from  her 
engrossin'  Art  work,  Celestine  would  say  to  me:  "  How 


288  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

glad  I  am,  Josiah  Allen's  wife,  that  you  could  come 
while  I  am  here,  I  am  so  glad  to  visit  with  you."  And 
then  she  would  retire  agin  into  that  remote  world  of  her 
own  and  abide  there  in  her  own  pink  castles  set  down  on 
blue  landscapes,  amongst  her  own  strange  lookin'  ani- 
mals and  birds  and  flowers  and  things. 

And  Tamer  would  say  anon  and  every  little  while, 
* '  How  glad  I  am,  Cousin  Samantha,  that  you  could  come 
and  visit  with  me  and  Celestine."  And  then  she  would 
retire  into  her  own  enchanted  realm  amongst  her  own 
droves  of  pirates  and  outlaws  and  romantic  heroines  and 
villians.  It  wuz  a  queer  time,  queer  as  a  dog,  but  I  had 
real  good  visits  with  Anna,  sweet  girl,  with  the  shadder 
of  the  deepest  sorrow  of  youth  and  life  hangin'  black 
above  her.  And  she  wuz  so  good  and  innocent  and  obedi- 
ent that  she  said  she  had  told  Tom  she  would  never  marry 
aginst  her  mother's  wishes,  "  For,"  sez  she,  "  Aunt  Sa- 
mantha, with  Ma's  health  as  it  is  she  says  it  would  kill 
her,  and  as  I  tell  Tom,  what  comfort  could  I  ever  take 
even  as  his  wife  if  I  had  been  the  cause  of  my  mother's 
death?  " 

So  I  didn't  really  know  how  it  wuz  comin'  out.  I 
couldn't  see  much  chance  for  Anna's  future,  for  I  ex- 
pected jest  as  much  to  see  a  mornin'  glory  sproutin'  out 
of  my  dry  oven  as  to  see  any  blossom  of  tenderness  and 
consideration  growin'  in  the  ambitious,  sandy,  trompled 
sile  of  Tamer's  heart. 

It  looked  dark  before  me,  dark  as  Egyptian  shades, 
blind  creeter  that  I  wuz,  and,  oh!  of  little  faith.  I  knew 
well  whose  hand  wuz  at  the  helium,  and  I  might  have 
trusted  more,  my  faith  might  have  been  as  big  as  the 
pint  of  a  pin,  but  I  don't  spoze  it  wuz,  or  I  wouldn't 
have  felt  as  I  did.  If  my  faith  had  been  as  big  as  the 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  289 

pint  of  a  needle,  it  must  have  removed  one  or  two  of 
the  hillocks  of  gloom  that  towered  up  in  high  ranges 
in  front  of  me  when  I  meditated  on  the  future  of  the 
girl  I  loved  so  well.  But  I  sot  crouched  down  there  in 
the  gloom,  and  had  no  idee  how  they  wuz  goin'  to  be 
leveled  down  and  light  break  through,  nor  how  many 
heartaches  wuz  to  go  on  below  while  the  light  broke 
through  high  up,  and  as  mysterious  as  all  things  earthly 
are  if  we  come  to  realize  it. 

Oh,  my  poor  Jack !  I  never  dreamed  that  it  wuz  your 
little  hand  that  wuz  to  touch  these  solid,  gloomy  pin- 
nacles and  shiver  'em  down  to  the  earth.  Dear  little 
boy!  how  many  times  did  I  say  I  wished  you  wuz  safe 
from  the  trials  and  temptations  of  this  world  and  its 
tribulations?  Wuz  my  wish  took  as  a  prayer,  and  did 
the  Lord  grant  it  in  mercy?  But,  oh,  poor  hearts  below! 
how  you  must  ache  on  as  long  as  you  are  wrapped  up  in 
this  human  clay,  soft  stuff  this  human  clay  is,  anyway, 
and  as  easy  to  take  impressions  as  putty. 

But  to  stop  eppisodin'  and  resoom  backwards  agin. 
The  day  I  wuz  to  return  to  the  bosom  of  my  family,  that 
bosom  incarnated  in  the  form  of  my  beloved  pardner 
appeared  on  the  seen  in  good  season,  no  later  than  nine 
A.  M.  Celestine  wuz  also  to  depart  that  mornin',  she 
went  a  few  minutes  previous  to  my  companion's  arrival, 
for  she  went  on  the  Loontown  stage  that  passed  at  a 
quarter  to  nine. 

She  got  up  very  early  and  did  her  packin',  she  had  got 
most  of  her  easels  and  canvases  and  paint  brushes 
packed  up,  and  her  landscapes  and  panels  and  things  all 
padded  at  the  corners  and  wropped  up  safe  for  the  jour- 
ney. But  Celestine  said  she  couldn't  leave  till  she  took 
a  last  look  at  the  lake  from  the  west  piazza,  the  lake 


290  fiamantha  on  Children's  Rights 

come  most  up  to  that  side  of  the  house,  and  it  wuz  a 
beautiful  sight,  I  will  admit,  and  the  picture  looked 
quite  well,  too,  for  she  showed  it  to  me.  The  blue  of 
the  lake  and  the  sky  overhead  wuz  jest  about  the  color 
of  little  Mary's  eyes,  and  the  light  in  the  east  wuz  some 
the  color  of  her  fluffy  wavin'  hair,  and  I  told  her  Ma 
so  as  I  held  the  little  girl  fondly  in  my  arms.  But  she 
looked  real  indifferent  at  the  child,  as  if  she  see  some 
panels  through  her  and  some  calenders  and  things  and 
called  my  attention  to  the  "  cheri  obscuro  "  of  the  pic- 
tures, and  the  "  alto  releevo,"  or  I  guess  that  is  what 
she  called  'em,  I  didn't  have  a  idee  what  she  meant,  but 
not  wantin'  to  act  green,  I  told  her  I  presumed  so,  "  I 
spoze  they're  real  favorites  of  yourn,  but,"  sez  I  can- 
didly, "  there  hain't  a  doubt  of  this,  this  child  here  would 
be  a  prime  favorite  of  mine  if  I  had  her  with  me  much." 
And  I  hugged  her  to  me  agin  real  clost,  and  she  put  her 
soft,  white  arm  lovin'ly  round  my  neck. 

Agin  she  looked  at  her  with  a  fur  off  look,  some  as  if 
she  wuz  in  Hindoostan  or  Egypt  or  somewhere  and  sez: 
"  I  have  never  been  able  to  get  such  feelin'  into  a  picture 
as  I  have  in  this." 

And  I  sez,  *  *  Like  as  not, ' '  and  I  added, ' '  I  know  I  have 
a  real  lovin'  feelin'  for  little  Mary."  And  I  smoothed 
back  her  hair  with  a  tender  hand  and  made  of  her. 
And  then  I  bid  her  good-by  and  went  upstairs,  bein' 
called  there  by  Anna.  And  the  stage  hove  in  sight,  and 
Tamer  had  to  draw  Celestine  offen  her  work  and  git 
into  her  bunnet  and  shawl.  The  stage  driver  wuz  real 
profane  durin'  the  siege  of  gittin'  her  started,  but  he 
got  the  easel  in,  and  big  framed  pictures  and  placks  and 
panels,  and  she  standin'  over  him  and  warnin'  him  to  be 
careful  and  not  injure  'em,  and  he  got  her  little  satchels 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  291 

and  boxes  in  and  she  herself,  and  they  wuz  jest  drivin' 
off  when  Hamen's  wife  come  runnin'  down  the  steps  and 
called  out  to  her  cousin: 

"  Celesteena,  you  have  forgot  little  Mary!  "  And  at 
that  minute  I  come  downstairs  and  ketched  sight  of  her 
and  little  Jack  out  in  the  yard  playin'.  Celestine  looked 
at  her  pictures  and  satchels  and  things  and  seemed  to 
come  to  a  realizin'  sense  that  she  did  miss  sunthin',  so 
little  Mary  wuz  called  in  and  put  in  the  stage  jest  as  she 
wuz,  though  her  dress  wuz  fur  too  thin  for  that  cool 
day,  and  her  face  and  hands  wuzn't  what  they  should 
be  to  start  off  on  a  journey,  and  she  hadn't  a  mite  of  a 
wrap  on,  but  the  pictures  and  panels  wuz  protected  by 
thick  wrappers,  and  Celestine  didn't  see  anything  wrong. 
Little  Mary  kissed  her  hand  to  me  as  they  went  out  of 
the  gate,  and  I  threw  a  dozen  to  her,  and  hundreds  of 
wishes  for  her  future  happiness,  but  I  must  say  I  felt 
dubersome  about  it,  dretful  dubersome. 

Well,  we  got  home  that  night  in  good  season,  I  got  a 
delicious  supper,  and,  oh!  how  good  it  did  seem  to  be 
in  my  own  home  agin.  Everything  looked  good  to  me, 
even  to  the  tea-kettle  and  broom.  Oh,  truly,  indeed, 
hath  the  poet  said  and  sung,  "  There  is  no  place  like 
home,  there  is  no  place  like  home." 

I  found  a  lot  of  papers  there  Thomas  J.  had  sent  me, 
and  I  wuz  glad  enough  I  didn't  read  'em  till  I  eat  supper 
and  done  up  my  work.  For  I  knew  that  no  supper  could 
I  partook  of  had  I  seen  the  dretful  news  these  papers 
contained.  And  I  didn't  see  that  fatal  article  for  quite 
a  spell.  The  papers  told  about  Miss  Greene  Smythe's 
Charity  Bazar,  and  the  first  one  I  opened  had  a  very  full 
description  of  the  party,  and  over  a  column  wuz  devoted 
to  her  dress,  it  wuz  described  as  very  shinin'  and  glit- 


292  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

terin',  and  her  diamonds  immense.  It  said  this  Charity 
Ball  and  Bazar  wuz  a  great  success,  and  her  city  might 
be  proud  of  such  a  woman,  her  native  land  might  be 
proud  to  own  her  as  a  child,  and  the  Hottentot  would 
rise  up  and  call  her  blessed;  it  wuz  a  powerful  edi- 
torial. 

Another  daily  paper,  which  I  took  up  next,  said  it 
wuz  a  vulgar  affair;  her  dress  wuz  gaudy,  her  ornaments 
in  poor  taste,  and  it  said  that  after  the  expenses  of  that 
bazar  wuz  paid  not  over  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents 
would  ever  git  to  that  heathen,  and  it  wuz  very  doubtful 
if  even  that  sum  would  ever  reach  him,  owin'  to  the 
cupidity  and  selfishness  of  the  intermediate  links,  Hot- 
tentot and  American. 

And  the  paper  went  on  to  say  that  the  Hottentot  didn't 
need  clothin',  anyway,  and  it  wuz  doubtful  if  he  would 
spend  the  money  for  that  purpose  even  if  it  ever  reached 
him,  for  he  had  imbibed  from  Americans  a  strong  love 
for  alcoholic  stimulants,  and  it  wuz  supposed  by  the 
editor  that  he  would  spend  the  money  raised  by  the 
bazar  in  gettin*  intoxicated  on  Boston  whisky.  It  wuz 
a  dretful  discouragin'  article.  And  in  that  same  paper, 
right  along  in  the  next  column  describin'  the  affair  Miss 
Greene  Smythe  had  been  lookin'  forward  to  with  such 
pride,  wuz  the  dretful  tragedy  put  down,  the  thing  that 
took  the  nip  out  of  Miss  Greene  Smythe,  and  made  a 
different  woman  of  her,  so  they  say. 

I  hate  to  tell  it;  I  hate  to  like  a  dog,  but  I  must;  it 
is  the  truth  and  has  got  to  be  told.  Poor  little  Ange- 
nora!  poor  little  thing!  The  nurse  gin  her  too  much  of 
that  opiate  either  through  carelessness  or  meanness  or 
sunthin';  'tennyrate,  she  gin  her  an  overdose  that  very 
night  of  the  party.  It  wuz  spozed  the  nurse  wanted  to 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  293 

be  free  to  flirt  round  and  enjoy  herself,  and  the  child 
bein'  over-excited  and  couldn't  sleep  she  dosed  her 
double  and  treble.  'Tennyrate,  she  gin  her  so  much  that 
the  next  mornin'  they  found  her  pretty  little  body  layin' 
cold  and  still,  the  sweet,  misused  sperit  gone  clear  out 
of  it.  Escaped!  that's  the  way  my  mind  pictured  it  to 
myself  as  I  thought  it  over  with  the  paper  dropped  into 
my  lap  and  the  tears  runnin'  down  my  face  entirely  on- 
beknown  to  me. 

Escaped!  away  from  these  bleak  skies  into  a  safer, 
happier  realm.  The  nurse  run  away  when  she  discov- 
ered it,  but  wuz  brung  back  by  officers  of  the  law.  Miss 
Greene  Smythe  went  into  spazzum  after  spazzum,  conip- 
tion  fit  after  coniption  fit,  but  recovered  enough  to  tes- 
tify aginst  the  girl  and  send  her  to  prison.  The  next 
work  she  did  wuz  to  dismiss  the  other  girl  and  hire  a 
good,  middle-aged  woman,  widder  of  a  Lutherean  min- 
ister, to  take  care  of  Algernon. 

Well,  I  don't  envy  that  widder  not  a  mite.  But  no 
missionary  to  Africa  nor  India's  coral  strand  wuz  ever 
needed  more,  and  mebby  she  will  disseminate  some  gos- 
pel and  some  common  sense  into  the  benighted  jungles 
of  Miss  Greene  Smythe 's  mind.  'Tennyrate,  I  hearn,  it 
come  quite  straight  too— Nancy  Yerden  hearn  it  from 
her  sister-in-law  in  Jonesville  and  she  told  me— that 
them  Danglers  didn't  dangle  nigh  so  much,  Miss  Greene 
Smythe  seemin'  to  not  want  'em  to. 

But  she  left  for  the  city  a  few  weeks  after  little  An- 
genora's  death;  she  said  she  couldn't  bear  the  associa- 
tions connected  with  that  house,  and  I  hear  she  pays 
more  attention  to  Mr.  Greene  Smythe  than  she  did; 
howsumever,  I  don't  know.  Thomas  J.  gets  bizness  let- 
ters from  her  occasionally— I  guess  he'll  git  her  free 


294  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

from  Emery  Tweedle,  he  is  a  villian  and  a  blackmailer, 
so  Thomas  J.  sez.  As  for  Medora,  he  don't  see  his  way 
clear  to  free  her  from  her  husband,  and  I  guess  as  long 
as  she  lives  she  will  have  to  suffer  from  the  effects  of  her 
early  trainin'  and  git  along  the  best  she  can. 

Now,  can  any  one  tell  by  what  occult  law  or  onseen 
enactment  it  is,  or  what  strange,  mysterious  jury  sets  on 
the  case  and  determines  it  thus  or  so,  but  is  there  one 
among  my  readers  who  will  contradict  me  when  I  say 
that  when  one  thing  happens  in  this  world  other  things 
like  it  will  keep  on  happening  pleasant  things  and  sad 
things?  Now,  if  people  have  one  pleasant  thing  happen 
to  'em  they  will  keep  on  happening  and  the  same  with 
sad  things;  if  one  suicide  takes  place  don't  folks  look 
for  another?  And  they  do  not  look  in  vain;  the  same 
with  embezzlements,  murders,  war,  and  rumors  of  wars. 

Alas!  the  grass  wuz  not  yet  green  on  little  Angenora's 

grave  when But  I  can't  put  it  down  yet;  no,  I  have 

got  to  lead  up  to  it  gradual  or  I  can't  stand  it;  I  have 
got  to  kinder  stiddy  myself  by  relating  other  things  first. 


CHAPTER  XXIH. 

fHINGS  went  on  in  their  usual  roteen  in  our 
home  in  Jonesville,  Josiah  good,  over-good 
at  times,  anon  puggicky  and  hard  to  git 
along  with,  softened  into  amiability  agin 
by  his  own  good  principles  and  his  pard- 
ner's  oncommon  tact  and  cookin'.  Meetings,  socials, 
visitors,  agents,  and  colporters  varied  the  calm  roteen 
as  of  yore;  the  children  had  been  home  frequent,  and 
Hamenses  folks  had  been  down  on  a  visit  and  stayed 
several  days. 

One  day  Aunt  Polly  Worden  come  to  spend  the  day 
with  me.  She  lives  with  her  brother  and  his  wife,  and  is 
pretty  well  off  if  she  only  knew  it,  but  she  don't  know  it, 
and  probable  never  will.  She  will  go  on  and  complain 
of  her  sister-in-law  by  the  hour  if  folks  will  listen  to 
her.  But  I  always  git  her  attention  off  as  soon  as  I  can 
onto  other  subjects,  knittin'  or  piecin'  up,  or  the  min- 
ister's wife,  or  sunthin'  or  ruther.  Well,  little  Delight 
wuz  stayin'  with  us  for  a  few  days,  and  Aunt  Polly 
seemed  to  forget  her  grievances  lookin*  at  the  dear  little 
creeter  and  hearin'  her  pretty  talk  as  she  played  with 
her  dollys  and  books  and  toys. 

I  got  a  oncommon  good  dinner— Aunt  Polly  loves  her 
vittles— and  she  brightened  up  considerable  and  wuz 
talkin'  real  agreeable  for  her,  and  that  afternoon  Thomas 
J.  and  Maggie  stopped  in  for  a  few  minutes  with  their 
baby.  They  wuz  out  ridin'  and  come  in  for  a  few  min- 


296  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

utes,  and  Thomas  J.  went  to  find  his  Pa,  wantin'  to  see 
him  on  bizness.  The  baby  looked  sweet  as  a  rosebud, 
and  Maggie  looked  like  the  parent  rose  on  the  same 
stem. 

Maggie  couldn't  take  off  her  bunnet  even,  for  they 
had  to  be  back  before  noon,  but  she  said  they  wuz 
comin'  down  that  week  to  stay  all  day.  But  I  did  take 
off  the  baby's  little  white  silk  hood  and  snowy  cashmere 
cloak,  and  made  of  it  a  sight,  Delight  lookin'  on  as  happy 
as  a  little  queen.  After  they  went  away  I  spoke  as  is 
nateral  to  Aunt  Polly  about  the  charms  and  loveliness 
of  that  baby,  and  Aunt  Polly  winked  at  me  real  knowin ' 
and  sez  to  Delight: 

"  Your  nose  is  broke  now,  young  lady." 

Delight  put  her  little  finger  up  to  her  nose  and  felt  of 
it  anxiously,  and  I  wunk  at  Aunt  Polly  to  say  no  more, 
for  I  knew  what  she  meant— it  wuz  that  this  new  babe 
of  Thomas  Jefferson's  would  push  little  Delight  out  of 
my  heart.  But  Aunt  Polly  is  real  kinder  obstinate;  I 
guess  her  sister-in-law  is  right  when  she  sez,  "  No  mule 
wuz  ever  more  balky  than  Polly  Worden." 

But  then  I  realize  that  she  is  a  old  maiden  and  has 
had  five  disappointments  and  some  say  seven,  and  they 
have  embittered  her.  She  heeded  not  the  wink  I  wunk  at 
her  and  kep'  right  on: 

"  The  little  new  baby  will  take  your  place  now  in 
Grandma's  heart." 

Delight  looked  troubled,  on  her  smooth  little  brow  I 
could  see  fall  the  first  faint  shadow  of  that  great,  black 
shape  that  we  call  jealousy.  Her  sweet  eyes  looked  as  if 
they  wuz  cloudin'  up  ready  for  tears.  And  I  wunk 
severer  and  more  voyalent  winks  at  Aunt  Polly;  if  ever 
a  wink  spoke  them  did,  and  said,  "  Stop  immegiately. " 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  297 

But  she  kep'  right  on  (poor  creeter!  I  spoze  them  disap- 
pintments  wuz  the  cause  on't),  and  sez: 

"  You  won't  be  Grandma's  baby  any  more;  she  has 
got  somebody  else  to  love  now." 

And  then  the  cloud  did  burst  into  a  rainfall  of  tears. 
Delight  jest  burst  out  a-cryin'  and  snuggled  down  in  my 
arms  and  laid  her  wet  cheeks  on  my  bosom  through  the 
power  of  old  custom,  and  anon  (how  much  like  human 
creeters  accordin'  to  her  size)  she  drew  her  head  away 
agin  as  if  sayin',  "  I  can't  lay  my  head  there  any  more; 
if  the  love  has  gone  out  of  the  heart  it  won't  rest  or 
comfort  me  any  more  to  lay  there." 

And  pride  woke  up  in  her;  she  wuz  too  proud  to  make 
a  fuss  or  beg  for  love  (how  much,  how  much  like  big 
children),  so  she  set  up  kinder  straight  on  my  lap  with 
her  pretty  lips  quiverin'  and  the  tears  runnin'  silent 
down  her  cheeks,  and  I  riz  right  up  with  her  and  went 
out  of  the  room. 

Josiah  wuz  there,  and  I  wouldn't  bring  Miss  Worden 
to  terms  before  a  male,  owin'  to  the  five  or  seven  things 
mentioned  by  me;  but  I  felt  that  I  must  make  it  right 
with  Delight  that  very  minute.  I  knew  how  she  felt, 
woonded  pride  and  love  and  jealousy,  a  few  hard  syl- 
lables of  the  hardest  lessons  of  life  had  come  to  Delight, 
and  I  must  help  her  spell  'em,  I  must  help  her  with  her 
lesson. 

So  I  took  her  into  the  parlor  and  sot  down  with  her  in 
the  big  chair  and  never  said  a  word  for  a  minute  or  two, 
only  held  her  clost  to  me  and  kissed  the  shinin'  hair  that 
lay  up  aginst  my  cheeks,  she  strugglin'  at  first,  Jealousy 
and  Pride  naggin'  her,  and  at  first  not  bein'  able  to  hear 
any  voices  only  jest  them  of  J.  and  P.  (jest  like  older 
children  exactly).  But,  after  a  while,  I  held  her  so  warm 


298  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

and  clost,  with  my  cheek  layin'  on  the  pretty  head,  the 
stiddy  firm  clasp  and  contact  sort  o'  calmed  her,  and 
then  anon  she  drew  one  little  arm  up  around  my  neck, 
and  anon  the  other  one,  and  I  looked  down  deep  into 
her  eyes,  right  into  the  little  true  soul,  and  that  little 
true  soul  see  the  truth  in  mine.  Words  couldn't  have 
convinced  Delight  so  well  as  that  look  she  had  learnt 
to  depend  on.  Love  has  a  language  that,  though  mebby 
it  can't  be  exactly  parsed  and  analyzed,  yet  it  can  be  un- 
derstood, entirely  understood,  and  Delight  see  that  I 
loved  her.  And  then  wuz  the  time  the  little  creeter  put 
up  her  lips  and  kissed  me,  and  I  sez  sort  o*  low  but  very 
tender: 

"  Sweetheart,  you  know  jest  how  much  I  love  you, 
don't  you?  " 

And  she  said,   "  Yes." 

And  then  I  kissed  her  several  times  in  various  places 
on  her  face,  every  one  on  'em  sweet  places.  And  went 
on  and  talked  dretful  good  to  her  about  the  new  baby. 
I  confided  in  her,  told  her  all  about  how  the  little  new 
soul  had  come  onbeknown  to  itself  into  a  great,  strange 
world,  how  helpless  it  wuz,  how  weak,  and  how  we  must 
all  help  it  and  try  to  make  it  feel  at  home  amongst  us. 

And  I  tried  to  explain  it  to  her,  that  as  she  wuz  here 
first  she  owed  a  courtesy  to  the  newcomer,  and  that  she 
must  be  ready  and  willin'  to  neighbor  with  her;  I  didn't 
use  jest  the  words,  but  them  wuz  my  idees. 

I  told  her  how  blind  the  little  creeter  wuz,  and  Delight, 
if  only  out  of  politeness,  must  try  to  see  for  her,  lead  her 
straight  over  ways  she  knew  nothin'  about,  and  keep  her 
from  harmin'  herself.  How  baby  couldn't  talk  for  her- 
self at  all  now,  and  Delight  must  talk  for  her,  good  talk 
that  the  little  one  could  learn  of  her  bimeby.  How  she 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  299 

couldn't  walk,  and  Delight,  bein'  stronger,  must  go 
ahead  of  her  and  make  a  pretty  path  for  her  to  foller 
when  she  got  big  enough.  I  told  her  jest  how  hard  it 
wuz  for  the  baby  to  be  put  here  so  helpless  in  the  midst 
of  sorrows  and  troubles  and  dangers,  and  how  we  must 
all  of  us  be  jest  as  good  to  her  as  we  could  out  of  pity  for 
the  dear  little  creeter. 

So  I  rousted  up  Delight's  pity  for  her,  and  she  wuz 
all  animated  about  helpin'  her,  and  I  told  her  the  baby 
had  come  to  be  a  great  blessin'  and  comfort  to  her,  but 
she  must  take  great  care  of  it  and  not  let  it  get  harmed 
in  any  way,  for  it  would  need  her  care  and  love  for  a 
long  time. 

And  don't  you  see  that  the  fact  of  Delight  havin'  to 
do  a  kindness  to  the  baby,  havin'  to  take  thought  and 
study  out  good  things  to  do  for  her,  wuz  the  surest  way 
to  make  her  love  her?  For  it  is  a  great  fact  in  our  human 
nater  that  you  can't  love  them  you  have  injured  in  any 
way,  and  at  the  same  time  if  you  have  ever  been  good  to 
anybody  you  always  feel  softer  toward  'em  and  more 
mellerer. 

Curious,  hain't  it?  But  it  is  a  fact,  and  I  spoze  the 
reason  on't  is  you  have  sort  o'  lowered  yourself  in  your 
own  estimation  by  doing  a  onkind  act,  and  so  in  order 
to  satisfy  your  mental  criticism  on  yourself  and  try  to 
make  it  right,  you  lay  hold  and  bring  up  all  the  faults 
of  that  person  you  can  to  justify  your  own  act,  and  so 
you  keep  on  that  mental  naggin'  at  'em,  that  oncom- 
fortable  sort  of  a  feelin'  toward  'em  makes  you  restless 
and  oneasy,  and  you  are  glad  every  time  you  can  stand 
justified  to  your  own  consciousness  by  ketchin'  'em  in  a 
bad  act— hain't  that  so,  now?  Why,  I  know  it  is,  so  I 
made  sure  Delight  shouldn't  begin  wrong.  For  when 


300  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

you  do  a  good,  helpful  thing  for  a  person  your  hull  soul 
feels  comfortable  and  you  bring  up  unconscious  mental 
reasons  why  you  did  it,  it  wuz  because  they  wuz  so  good, 
so  smart,  and  so  you  keep  on  feelin'  good  and  comfort- 
able, you  keep  on  praisin'  'em  to  your  own  self  till  you 
git  fairly  in  love  with  'em,  as  it  were. 

A  very  curious  thing.  But  the  way  I  do  when  I  git 
hold  of  a  strange  fact  or  truth,  I  don't  wait  to  explain 
it  full  to  myself  before  I  act  on  it;  no,  I  grasp  hold  of 
it  and  use  it  for  my  own  benefit  and  afterwards  wonder 
at  it  to  my  heart's  content. 

So  Delight  got  to  thinkin'  she  wuz  necessary  to  the 
baby's  happiness,  and  that  tickled  her  little  self-esteem 
jest  as  though  she  wuz  a  older  child  (only  accordin'  to 
her  weight).  She  got  to  thinkin'  she  must  watch  over 
her  or  she  might  git  hurt,  which  called  out  all  the  good 
motherly  protectin'  impulses  of  her  little  soul  which 
wuz  in  her  (still  accordin'  to  her  weight,  forty  pounds 
more  or  less).  And  day  by  day  Delight's  love  for  the 
little  creeter  grew  till  it  wuz  fairly  beautiful  to  see  'em 
together,  and  so  Josiah  said,  and  her  Pa  and  Ma  and 
the  neighbors. 

But  to  resoom  backwards  a  little.  As  for  Miss  Wor- 
den,  I  thought  to  myself,  disappintments  or  not,  I  have 
got  to  give  her  a-talkin'  to,  and  so  I  did,  the  very  next 
time  I  see  her.  She  had  gone  when  Delight  and  I  went 
out  of  the  parlor,  Delight  with  bright,  happy  eyes,  and 
I  with  kinder  thoughtful,  pityin'  ones,  and  all  four  on 
'em  kinder  wet.  But  the  next  time  I  see  her  alone  I 
tackled  her,  and  she  jest  as  good  as  promised  she 
wouldn't  ever  say  to  any  human  child  agin  what  she  had 
said  to  Delight.  And  I  don't  believe  she  will.  She 
hain't  such  a  bad  creeter  after  all,  and,  good  land!  what 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  301 

can  you  expect,  six  or  seven  right  along  one  after  the 
other? 

Well,  I  guess  it  wuz  the  afternoon  of  the  very  day  I 
tackled  Aunt  Polly  Worden  and  got  her  promise,  or 
as  good  as  a  promise,  I  got  a  letter  from  Jack,  he  don't 
write  to  me  often,  but  like  all  congenial  souls  I  felt  we 
wuz  nigh  each  other  whether  we  communed  in  spoken 
or  written  words  or  not,  his  letters  are  printed  and  are 
sights  of  work,  I  know.  Josiah  brung  the  letter  in  when 
he  come  in  to  dinner.  Jack's  letter  wuz  written  on  Sun- 
day, it  run  as  f oilers: 

"  My  deer  Ant, 

"  We  want  you  to  come  over  a  visitin'  ma  sez  so  and 
i  say  so  i  want  to  see  you  bad  I've  been  to  meetin'  to 
day  Ma  told  me  to  remember  what  the  minister  sed  and 
tell  you  i  dont  Remember  nothin'  only  i  Herd  him  say 
more'n  twenty  times  my  herers  i  will  close  my  remarks 

"  deer  Ant  i  hate  lyin 

"  All  day  if  i  moved  ma  Told  me  i  never  would  be 
a  little  Joseph  or  a  little  sammel  i  don't  want  to  be  a 
little  Joseph  i  drather  be  a  colt  they  can  move  Sundays 
they  can  kick  up  their  Heels  and  Bun  lass  night  father 
made  me  go  to  bed  at  ate  he  sed  it  wood  make  me  grow 
sez  i  father  you  lett  anna  set  up  she  is  bigger  sez  he  then 
she  ort  to  sleep  more  sez  i  for  there  is  more  of  her  to  git 
tired  Father  never  stopped  readin  but  sez  he  you  are 
a  cute  one  sez  i  father  what  is  cute  you  run  along  to 
Bed  that  is  all  father  sed  when  i  wuz  goin  upstairs  to 
bed  i  called  out  to  mother  mother  what  is  cute  and  she 
never  looked  up  from  her  book  but  sez  run  right  along 
to  bed  Jack  Then  i  gripped  right  onto  the  hired  girl 
and  sez  i  you  shall  tell  me  what  cute  is  i'll  cute  you  sez 
she  and  she  snaked  me  right  into  bed  and  Blowed  out 
the  lamp  deer  Ant  they  won't  never  tell  me  nothin  there 
is  lots  and  lots  of  things  i  feel  i  must  know  about  and 


302  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

if  i  ask  them  they  say  a  little  boy  should  be  seen  and 
not  Herd  deer  Ant  i  don't  want  to  be  seen  i  drather  be 
Herd  how  be  i  goin'  to  find  out  things  if  they  won't  tell 
me,  Youre  shure  miff  you  answer  questions  deer  Ant 
i  like  you  and  we  want  you  to  come  here  a  visitin  so 
no  more 

"  remaining  your  respected  friend, 

"  JACK. 
"P.  S. 

"I  want  you  to  come  here  a  visitin  the  worst  kind, 

11  your  obedient  servant 

"  JACK. 
"  P.  S.  agin 

' '  ma  told  me  to  tell  you  to  come  Wednesday  for  shure 
do  come  to  see  your  respected  cousin  JACK. 

"  P.  S.  agin  _ 

"  Ma  is  goin  to  have  a  party  and  wants  you  to  stay 
all  night  and  so  duz  yours  truly  JACK. 

"  P.  S.  ma  told  me  to  ask  you  and  unkel  Josiah  to  come 
P.  S.  be  sure  and  come  J." 

Well,  a  letter  come  from  Tamer  by  the  same  mail  or 
mails,  by  Ury,  brung  in  by  Josiah. 

Jack  wuz  in  the  right  on't.  Tamer  wuz  goin'  to  have 
a  afternoon  party  of  the  Allen  race  and  dynasty  and 
wanted  Josiah  and  I  to  be  sure  and  come  and  stay  all 
night,  for  the  rest  wuz  comin'  and  goin'  by  train  and 
stage,  and  they  would  all  go  home  that  night  but  us  and 
mebby  Celestine,  and  she  begged  Josiah  and  me  to  stay 
a  few  days.  Well,  bein'  through  with  his  hardest  work 
and  owin'  the  visit,  Josiah  consented  to  go  and  we  sot 
off  in  good  season  and  arrove  there  about  ten  A.  M.  We 
see  the  house  looked  real  stirred  up  when  we  got  there, 
the  winders  open  above  and  below,  and  the  piazzas  on 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  303 

both  sides  full  of  little  groups  of  the  relations;  we  wuz 
about  the  last  ones  there,  owin'  to  most  all  the  rest 
havin'  come  on  the  cars  or  the  stage  from  Zoar  and 
Loontown. 

Uncle  Submit  Allen  and  Aunt  Patience  and  their  three 
daughters  and  their  children,  and  Tamer's  brother's 
folks  and  her  Uncle  Preserved,  and  Aunt  Priscilla  and 
Aunt  Nancy  John  and  Aunt  Nancy  Joe,  widders  of  the 
old  twins,  John  and  Joseph  Allen,  and  Uncle  Ichabod 
Allen,  poor  creeter!  he  had  lost  his  wife,  but  he  kep' 
his  old  maid  girl  to  keep  house  for  him;  yes,  Huldy 
wuz  there,  too,  takin'  first  rate  care  of  her  Pa;  Cousin 
Joel  and  his  wife  and  Marii,  she  is  a  kind  of  a  widder, 
that  is,  her  husband,  Jotham  Allen,  left  her  a  year  ago 
this  comin'  fall,  run  away  with  Elam  Snyderses  widder 
and  a  three-year-old  colt  that  belonged  to  Marii,  and, 
as  I  told  her,  I  should  mourn  some  for  the  colt,  but 
should  consider  it  wuz  a  colt  well  lost  to  git  red  of 
Jotham.  A  poor,  whimin'  creeter,  drinkin'  and  behavin', 
and  had  ever  sence  they  wuz  married.  Marii  is  a  good 
deal  better  off  without  him,  and  she  begins  to  think  so, 
too;  she  is  a  tailoress  and  gits  good  wages  and  don't 
have  to  have  her  heart  and  mind  on  a  strain  all  the  time. 

Why,  sometimes  I  think  it  is  easier  to  settle  down 
and  be  real  onhappy  than  it  is  to  be  between  and  be- 
twixt, and  not  know  what  roll  you  will  be  called  to 
play  the  next  minute.  If  you  know  you  are  onhappy  you 
can  set  down  and  mourn  and  give  your  hull  time  to  it  as 
it  were,  and  not  strain  your  mind,  not  knowin'  what  you 
are  goin'  to  do  next. 

But  to  resoom.  These  relations  I  have  named  all 
pressed  forwards  in  the  stoop  to  greet  me;  after  Tamer 
and  Anna  and  Jack,  bless  him !  had  met  us  with  a  hearty 


304  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

welcome,  Hamen,  havin'  gin  me  a  cordial  greeting  had 
gone  on  to  the  horse  barn  with  the  mair  and  my  pardner. 
I  see  Celestine  settin'  at  the  other  end  of  the  stoop  with 
her  easel  all  up  a 'ready,  and  she  paintin'  away  at  some 
landscape  or  ruther,  not  mindin'  seemin'ly  the  waves 
of  relationship  surgin'  round  her  on  every  side.  But, 
as  I  drawed  near,  she  did  take  her  brush  in  her  other 
hand  and  shake  hands  with  me,  but  her  hand  wuz  real 
limpsy,  she  didn't  realize  me  much  of  any,  her  mind 
wuzn't  in  our  world  at  all  as  I  could  see. 

She  wuz  paintin'  the  cloud  effects  on  the  water,  she 
said,  and  her  canvas  did  look  all  kinder  swashy  and  blue 
with  some  storks  storkin'  along  in  front,  to  give  the  pic- 
ture character,  she  said,  and  she  said  she  never  see  the 
cloud  effects  more  strikin'  than  they  wuz  that  mornin'. 

And  I  sez,  '"  Yes,  like  as  not."  And  I  looked  off 
dreamily  for  a  number  of  minutes.  The  lake  lay  like  a 
long,  bright  mirror,  and  all  the  tiny  white  and  pink 
clouds  that  wuz  floatin'  on  the  clear,  blue  sky  above  wuz 
reflected  on  the  face  of  the  water,  the  willers  that  grew 
along  the  banks  on  one  side  wuz  reproduced  and  living 
agin  down  in  that  strange  underworld,  and  the  big  oak 
tree  that  sort  o'  bent  over  the  water  with  a  bluebird 
settin'  out  on  one  branch  and  singin'  sweet  and  clear. 

There  they  wuz  livin'  agin,  bluebird  and  all,  it  wuz 
a  fair  seen,  a  fair  seen,  and  I  didn't  wonder  that  Celes- 
tine admired  it.  But  with  all  my  admiration,  and, 
though  I  wuz  borne  off  a  considerable  ways  by  my  al- 
most boundless  delight  in  the  seen,  yet  some  practical 
common  sense  remained  with  me.  When  anybody  is  in 
danger  of  bein'  carried  away  by  their  emotions  they  ort 
to  tie  a  string  to  themselves  as  it  were  to  bring  them- 
selves back  to  this  life  as  long  as  they  have  got  to  stay 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  305 

in  it.  And  so  I  give  a  little  hitch  to  this  string  and 
found  myself  back  in  this  world  agin,  and  I  sez, '  *  Where 
is  little  Mary?  " 

"  Oh,"  sez  Celestine,  in  a  rapt  way,  "  how  sweetly 
the  bird  song  blends  in  with  the  tender  feeling  of  the 
landscape,  and  yet  a  stork  is  a  more  striking  adjunct," 
sez  she. 

But  I  sez  agin,  "  Where  is  little  Mary!  " 

And  after  repeating  the  question  for  the  third  time, 
she  sez,  looking  round  her  in  a  vague  way,  * '  Oh,  I  guess 
she  is  playing  somewhere  with  some  of  the  children." 
And  I  left  her,  she  not  sensin'  it  at  all,  and  went  down 
the  steps  towards  the  lake  where  I  heard  the  sound  of 
children's  voices.  I  found  little  Mary  settin'  on  a  stun 
and  lookin'  fur  off  onto  the  water,  she  had  been  throw- 
ing pebbles  into  the  clear  depths,  but  sot  still  now,  seem- 
in 'ly  wropped  up  in  her  thoughts. 

She  seemed  dretful  glad  to  see  me,  and  I  her  visey 
versey,  sweet  little  creeter!  Jack  joined  us  pretty  soon, 
and  we  sot  there  for  some  time,  and  I  told  Tem  quite  a 
number  of  stories,  and  I  held  Mary  in  one  arm  and  Jack 
in  the  other,  and  we  enjoyed  ourselves  first  rate.  But 
the  voices  of  Duty  and  Tamer  called  me  back  to  the 
house  and  the  assembled  guests.  Von  Crank  wuz  there, 
for  Tamer  would  have  it  so,  and  he  paid  Anna  all  the 
attention  he  possibly  could,  and  she  repulsed  it  all  she 
could,  so  it  made  quite  queer  times  and  quite  romantic. 
But  Anna  told  me  out  on  the  west  piazza,  when  we  hap- 
pened to  be  there  alone,  that  since  Cicero  had  been  sent 
to  the  penitentiary  her  Ma  had  not  acted  quite  so  head- 
strong and  stern  about  Von  Crank,  "  But  yet,"  sez  she, 
' '  I  see  her  mind  is  still  set  on  our  union,  and  what  shall 
I  do,  Aunt  Samantha?  She  has  been  through  so  much 


306  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

trouble  with  Cicero.  I  am  afraid  any  other  blow  would 
be  the  means  of  killing  her."  And  she  sez  agin,  as  she 
had  said  before,  "  I  could  never  be  happy,  never,  if  I 
wuz  the  means  of  breaking  her  heart,  and  so  I  don't 
know  what  to  do." 

"Well,"  sez  I,  "  you're  young  yet,  you  and  Tom;  you 
can  wait  a  spell  and  trust  the  Lord  and  ask  Him  to  help 
you  out  of  your  wilderness." 

"  Oh,  I  do,  Aunt  Samantha!  I  ask  Him,  and  I  trust 
Him,  or  I  couldn't  live.  He  has  seemed  so  much  nearer 
than  ever  before  since  I  have  been  so  wretched  and 
haven't  known  what  to  do." 

"  Well,  you  know  who  said  that  all  things  work  to- 
gether for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  and  if  you  do 
love  Him  the  promise  is  made  to  you,  and  you  must  lay 
holt  of  it." 

And  then  she  went  on  and  told  me  more  about  Tamer, 
and  I  did  pity  her,  pity  her  like  a  dog.  She  said  when 
Cicero  wuz  sent  away  her  Pa,  in  the  first  hours  when  he 
wuz  most  dead  with  shame  and  mortification,  told  his 
wife  she  wuz  the  cause  of  it  all;  she  had  filled  his  brain 
with  stories  of  vice  and  crime,  and  Cicero  had  acted 
out  what  his  brain  had  been  filled  with,  and  from  what 
Anna  said  I  guess  Hamen  throwed  Arabeller  in  her  face 
and  told  her  she  had,  for  the  sake  of  convenience  and 
what  she  called  gentility,  just  schooled  Cicero  in  morbid 
romance  and  vicious  adventure,  and  he  sez,  "  You  are 
now  reaping  what  you  have  sown."  Anna  said  her 
Ma  went  into  one  hysterick  fit  after  another,  and  she  had 
to  git  her  Pa  out  of  the  room  and  take  care  of  her  her- 
self day  after  day,  and  sez  she,  "  They  are  so  cool  to 
each  other,  now,  I  don't  believe  they  will  ever  be  even 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  307 

friends  agin,  and  everything  is  so  sad,  Aunt  Samantha," 
sez  she. 

And  agin  I  told  her,  "  It  is  always  the  darkest  jest 
before  day,  Anna." 

But  little  did  I  think  whose  small  hand  it  wuz  that 
wuz  goin'  to  lift  the  cloud  and  let  the  light  of  recon- 
ciliation into  the  darkened  home  life  of  Hamen  and 
Tamer  and  bring  their  hearts  together  agin.  A  Hamen 
realizin'  his  own  weaknesses  and  waywardness  and  sof- 
tenin'  into  a  feeling  of  pity  for  the  blind  mistakes  of  a 
Tamer,  and  being  willin'  to  jine  hands  and  hearts  with 
her  agin  and  pick  up  the  tangled  threads  of  life  and  try 
to  straighten  'em  out  into  plain  runm'n '  agin.  Oh,  poor 
little  Jack!  dear  little  creeter! 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

UT  to  resoom  backwards  agin.  Anna  said 
her  Ma  had  not  only  acted  dretful  cool  and 
distant  to  her  Pa  ever  since,  but  kep'  up 
a  cool,  icy  demeanor  towards  everybody 
who  pitied  her  over  Cicero 's  fate.  And  the 
thought  her  idee  in  givin'  the  party  wuz  to  show  she 
could  still  keep  up  and  hold  her  ground,  and  wuz  not 
such  a  forlorn  object  of  pity  as  they  all  seemed  to  think. 
Well,  Tamer  did  look  queer,  her  face  put  me  in  mind 
some  of  our  creek  before  it  breaks  up  in  the  spring,  sort 
o'  cold  and  smooth  and  ice  bound,  and  as  if  you  would 
be  apt  to  slip  up  if  you  ventured  a  foot  on  it. 

Not  one  of  the  relations  had  dasted,  so  fur  as  I  could 
make  out,  to  say  one  word  to  her  about  Cicero,  and  if 
relations  don't  dast,  then  who  will?  I  myself  didn't 
feel  like  mentionin'  his  name,  no,  my  feelin's  wuz  so 
deep  no  plummet  might  sound  'em  in  regard  to  that  boy 
and  his  folks.  Deep  pity,  knowledge  of  first  causes,  and 
prophetic  feelings  I  had  as  to  sure  results  to  spring  from 
dime  novels,  cigarettes,  etc.,  made  my  feelin's  queer  as 
a  dog's,  a  black  dog's.  And  I  didn't  feel  like  sayin'  one 
word,  no,  indeed,  I  felt  I  had  had  my  say,  and,  as  I 
watched  Tamer's  icy  face,  I  thought  to  myself  I  didn't 
want  to  be  anywhere  round  when  the  ice  broke  up  and 
the  waves  of  remorse  and  regret  washed  tumultous. 

Well,  she  had  an  elegant  dinner  and  supper,  waited 
on  in  first  class  style  by  a  new  girl,  and  I  dassent  for  my 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  309 

life  congratulate  Tamer  on  her  efficient  and  neat  lookin' 
handmaid,  no,  I  dassent  bring  back  any  reminiscences 
of  Arabeller,  I  kep'  still,  and,  follerin'  the  Scripter,  I 
partook  of  what  wuz  set  before  me  and  asked  no  ques- 
tions for  conscience  sake. 

Uncle  Ichabod,  bein'  the  oldest  perfessor  present, 
asked  splendid  blessin's  at  both  meals,  and  everything 
moved  on  as  smooth  as  clockwork;  the  relations  visited 
together  and  talked  about  the  news  of  the  day  and  about 
the  absent  relation,  as  is  their  wont  to  do  on  such  occa- 
sions. The  old  ones  settin'  with  their  heads  clost  to- 
gether tradin*  stories  of  the  past;  the  middle-aged  ones 
strollin'  round  or  gossippin'  together  on  the  porches  or 
lawn,  talkin'  together  of  the  present,  their  business, 
their  failures  and  successes;  the  young  ones  playin'  on 
the  pianny,  and  the  children  shoutin'  and  laughin'  and 
havin'  the  best  time  of  all. 

And  Celestine  paintin'  away  at  that  landscape  and 
perfectin'  the  feathers  of  that  stork.  Two  or  three  times 
I  see  little  Mary  approach  her  and  snuggle  up  against 
her  and  seem  to  want  some  attention,  but  every  time  her 
Ma  wuz  too  busy  to  notice  her,  some  of  the  tiny  feathers 
on  that  stork's  legs  callin'  for  concentrated  attention, 
and  the  bulrushes  on  the  bank  had  to  be  shaded  jest 
right,  and  so  she  told  little  Mary  to  run  away,  she 
couldn't  spend  any  time  with  her. 

Well,  the  relations  all  went  home  on  the  evenin'  train 
and  stage,  all  but  one  or  two  of  the  business  men,  who 
had  to  go  earlier,  them  men  took  their  pleasure  grudg- 
ingly as  if  they  didn't  really  know  how  to  spend  in  social 
enjoyment  and  leisure  the  time  that  should  been  devoted 
to  pilin'  up  treasures  on  earth.  All  went  but  Celestine 
and  little  Mary  and  my  pardner  and  me.  By  the  urgent 


310  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

requests  of  Tamer  and  Hamen,  and  the  still  more  urgent 
pleas  of  Anna  and  Jack,  we  stayed  for  several  days,  Jo- 
siah  and  Hamen  goin'  out  for  two  days  a-runnin'  to 
neighborin'  farmers  to  see  the  operations  of  a  new  and 
curiously  constructed  windmill.  Josiah  talks  of  rarin' 
one  up  to  home,  and  so  duz  Hamen.  So,  as  Josiah 
seemed  to  be  contented  and  happy,  I  tried  to  be  the 
same,  though  I  felt  I  wuz  confronted  by  more  curious, 
complicated  problems  than  any  windmill  that  ever  beat 
the  air. 

Oh,  how  Tamer's  cold,  icy  demeanor  chilled  my  heart! 
How  Anna's  sweet,  patient,  submissive  air  wrung  the 
same  almost  to  burstin'  on't!  How  the  actions  of  Ha- 
men and  his  brother  to  little  Jack,  foolin'  him,  deceivin' 
him,  and  Tamer's  scrupulous  attention  to  his  clothes  and 
hair,  and  paying  no  attention  whatever  to  his  childish 
soul  needs,  how  all  that  wrought  on  the  heart  aforesaid! 

Von  Crank  went  home  on  the  train  the  relation  took, 
so  there  wuz  one  queer  element  less  to  contend  with,  and 
I  trust  I  wuz  thankful  for  that  mercy.  After  Von  Crank 
left  the  queerest  element  that  wuz  left  I  think  in  our 
soul  atmosphere  wuz  Celestine's  pictures.  They  looked 
queer,  yes,  indeed,  they  did!  but  her  mind  wuz  all  en- 
tangled in  their  strange  scenery,  forgittin'  she  had  a 
sweet,  lovely  child  right  by  her  side.  And  she  wuz  a 
lovely  child.  I  realized  it  more  and  more  durin'  the 
days  when  we  wuz  so  much  together,  her  Ma  bein'  on 
the  piazza  and  not  to  be  disturbed.  Mary's  eyes  wuz  so 
bright  and  big  and  soft  and  had  the  very  same  look  in 
'em  that  Jack's  had  sometimes,  they  seemed  to  be  lookin' 
fur  off  into  mysteries  we  couldn't  see.  And  I  spoze  they 
see  'em,  too,  though  in  a  strange  fashion,  too  pure  and 
fine  to  be  uttered  in  our  language. 


Samantha  on  Children's  Eights  311 

I  never  looked  at  'em  when  they  wuz  in  these  moods 
(alternated  on  Jack's  part  by  loud  yellin*  and  kickin' 
up),  I  never  see  that  dreamy,  rapt  look  in  their  faces 
without  bein'  reminded  of  the  verse  about  the  children 
who  always  behold  the  face  of  the  Father.  And  I  be- 
lieve they  did  see  Him,  not  in  the  divine  form  mebby, 
but  some  mysterious  afterglow  of  the  divine  brightness. 

And  they  wuz  believin'  children,  too,  trustin'  children 
naturally,  though  Jack,  by  hard  experience,  wuz  learnin' 
to  doubt,  and  how  any  one  could  look  into  their  sweet, 
believin'  eyes  and  tell  'em  wrong  stories,  tryin'  to  fool 
'em,  jest  as  if  their  sweet,  childish  wisdom  wuzn't  milds 
beyend  their  poor  earthly  knowledge,  wuz  more  than  I 
could  see. 

But  Hamen  and  his  brother  had  got  so  in  the  habit  of 
tellin'  Jack  every  story  they  could  think  of,  would  tell 
the  same  things  to  Mary,  and  Celestine  wuz  too  took  up 
with  her  Art  to  notice.  Truly  her  pictures  seemed  to 
be  a  necessity  of  life  to  her,  when,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
she  had  more  than  enough  for  comfort,  she  wuz  hurryin' 
to  produce  more.  She  offered  to  paint  me  a  calendar, 
but  I  mildly  rejected  the  overtoor.  I  sez  to  her  that  the 
days  and  weeks  brought  so  many  strange  things  as  they 
went  on  that  I  guessed  I  had  jest  as  soon  take  'em  plain. 
I  wuz  polite  to  her,  but  gin  her  to  understand  I  wuzn't 
sufferin'  for  it. 

But  Tamer  wuz  enthusiastick  about  'em,  and  Celestine 
painted  her  one  with  every  week,  showin'  a  new  animal 
kinder  sprawlin'  round  it,  amongst  some  strange  flowers 
and  things,  I  couldn't  have  stood  it  myself  to  had  it 
round,  but  Tamer  liked  it,  and  Celestine  said  she  would 
paint  one  for  the  hull  family.  And,  bein'  so  wrought  up 
ornamentin'  the  days  of  the  week  on  paper,  she  entirely 


312  Samantha  on  Children's  Rights 

forgot  that  the  days  and  years  of  God  held  any  duty  for 
her,  forgot  the  sweet  little  soul  he  had  gin  to  her  charge 
for  weal  or  woe,  forgot  to  speak  a  word  to  her  from 
mornin*  till  night.  Why,  it  wuz  worse  than  the  children 
mentioned  in  Scripter  when  they  asked  for  bread  and 
got  a  stun,  poor  little  Mary  asked  for  the  bread  of  love 
and  got  no  thin*  but  a  piece  of  paper,  though  there  hain't 
a  stun  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  from  Gibrialtar  down  to 
a  slate  stun,  that  I  wouldn't  ruther  had  gin  to  me  than 
to  have  owned  one  of  them  picters  and  had  to  look  at 
it.  But  she  kep'  at  'em. 

Well,  it  wuz  the  third  day  we  had  been  there,  and  it 
wuz  a  beautiful  evenin*.  I  wuz  settin'  in  my  winder 
overlookin'  the  lake,  and,  seem'  how  bright  the  stars 
looked  reflected  in  the  smooth  water  and  how  the  cres- 
cent moon  lay  down  there  like  a  big  golden  boat  all  full 
and  flashin'  with  light,  and  the  glowin'  path  that  led 
to  it  shone  so  it  looked  like  one  of  them  streets  of  gold 
we  read  about  in  the  New  Jerusalem,  it  seemed  so  solid 
and  bright  that  it  fairly  tempted  one  to  walk  out  on  it 
and  set  sail  in  that  great  dazzlin*  boat  for  the  golden 
shores  and  fairy  pinnacles  of  that  city  that  lay  becalmed 
in  the  west. 

And  as  I  sot  there  I  heard,  with  a  small  part  of  my 
brain,  the  other  part  bein'  occupied  with  my  rapt  mus- 
in's,  little  Mary's  voice  talkin'  down  under  the  winder 
on  the  stoop  with  her  Uncle  Hamen,  she  had  always 
lived  inland  and  had  never  seen  such  a  glorious  show  on 
the  water,  the  nights  she  had  stayed  there  bein'  cloudy 
or  stormy,  I  hearn  her  say  in  her  earnest  way,  "  What 
is  that  light,  Uncle  Hamen,  way  off  there  on  the  water? 
It  looks  like  a  great  shinin'  boat." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  313 

And  then  I  hearn,  as  one  who  did  not  hear,  Hamen 
say,  "  It  is  a  boat,  Mary." 

"  Well,  what  are  the  little  bright  lights  all  round  it? 
Are  they  little  playhouses  for  children?  They  look  so 
small  and  bright,  and  there  is  such  a  pretty  path  to  'em 
over  the  water." 

And  then  I  hearn  Hamen  go  on,  a  little  I  heard  there 
with  my  ears  onbeknown  to  me  and  a  little  I  hearn 
afterwards  from  the  lips  of  a  too  late  remorse,  but  'ten- 
nyrate  Hamen  told  her  they  wuz  little  playhouses  where 
good  little  boys  and  girls  went  to  play,  and  asked  if  she 
didn't  want  to  go  and  play  in  one  of  'em. 

And  she  told  him  in  her  believin',  trustin'  way  that 
she  guessed  she  would  go  out  and  live  in  one  of  them 
with  Jack. 

And  Hamen  said  it  would  be  a  good  idee,  they  could 
take  some  dishes  and  things  and  keep  house  there,  and 
told  her  to  talk  to  Jack  about  it.  And  she  pattered  off 
to  find  Jack,  and  Hamen  told  his  brother  about  it,  and 
they  both  tittered  and  laughed.  But  that  I  did  hear 
afterwards,  I  am  truthful  and  will  not  lie  even  in  mo- 
ments of  excitement  and  tragedy,  I  did  not  hear  the  tit- 
ters. 

Well,  it  wuzn't  long  after  that  that  Jack  come  into 
my  room,  and  I,  bein'  so  wropped  round  with  my  reverie, 
didn't  notice  anything  in  particular,  but  remember 
thinkin'  in  a  dreamy  way  that  he  looked  dretful  but- 
toned up  as  if  he  wuz  ready  to  start  off  somewhere,  and 
his  pockets  seemed  kinder  bulgin'  out,  but  if  I  thought 
anything,  I  thought  it  wuz  some  of  his  and  little  Mary's 
play,  they  played  keepin'  house  and  doctorin'  and  vis- 
itin'  and  everything.  Well,  he  come  to  me  and  asked  me 
if  folks  ever  lived  in  the  stars? 


314  Samantha  on  Children's  Eights 

And  I  sez,  "  Sometimes  I  have  thought  so,  Jack." 

"  You're  always  sure  miff,  Aunt  Samantha,  and  that  is 
why  I  asked  you.  Do  you  spoze  they  are  playgrounds 
where  folks  that  are  tired  out,  wore  out  with  folks  here, 
can  go  with  somebody  they  love  and  have  a  good  time?  " 

I  declare  for't  I  had  been  thinkin'  them  very  thoughts 
as  I  sot  there  lookin'  at  the  stars  and  their  bright  reflec- 
tions in  the  water.  I  had  been  thinkin'  of  how  sweet  it 
would  be  for  them  who  are  unhappy,  seperated  by  some 
cruel  chance  from  them  they  love,  how  sweet  it  would  be 
if  them  shinin'  worlds  wuz  indeed  restful,  lovely  play- 
grounds where  they  could  wander  together  like  happy 
children  full  of  the  delight  and  wonder  of  readin'  new 
truths  and  new  happiness  in  each  other's  eyes. 

I  had  jest  been  thinkin'  of  this  when  Jack  come  to  me, 
and  I  rousted  up  partly  from  my  reverie  some  like  one 
half  asleep.  But  even  in  the  hours  of  meditation  and 
reverie  I  cling  to  the  apron  string  of  truth,  and  when  he 
sez: 

"  Do  you  spoze,  Aunt  Samantha,  the  stars  are  play- 
grounds! " 

I  spozein'  he  meant  after  this  life  instead  of  the  pres- 
ent, spozein'  he  referred  to  the  Over  World,  the  Beauti- 
ful Hereafter  that  is  the  groundwork  of  all  my  thoughts, 
no  matter  what  set  flowers  of  reality  is  painted  on  it,  I 
'  spozed  he  meant  that,  and  I  sez  half  sadly,  half  hope- 
fully: 

"  I  have  thought  it  wuz,  Jack,  a  place  of  beautiful 
play  and  beautiful  work." 

And  as  I  looked  out  agin  on  the  lovely  cloudy  surface 
of  the  water,  gemmed  by  them  gleaming  orbs,  sunthin' 
like  a  sad  life  lit  by  a  glowin'  love  and  hope,  I  added: 

"  Sometimes  I  have  been  sure  of  it." 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rights  315 

And  Jack  sez,  "  Do  you  spoze  there  will  be  anybody 
there  to  answer  questions?  "  And  I,  thinkin'  of  the 
strange  riddles  of  this  life,  and  how  much  we  need  heav- 
enly light  on  'em,  sez: 

"  Yes,  I  am  sure  of  that,  Jack." 

"  Well,  I  sot  for  a  spell  longer  lookin'  out  dreamily 
and  never  took  particular  notice  of  his  warm  kiss  as  he 
left  me,  he  wuz  always  kissin'  me,  except  thinkin'  me- 
kanically  it  wuz  a  long  and  sticky  one,  as  they  often  wuz, 
owin'  to  love  and  molasses  candy.  And  it  wuzn't  more'n 
a  spell  after  that  before  I  ondressed  and  went  to  bed, 
Josiah  havin'  been  reposin'  on  his  peaceful  piller  for 
some  time.  And  I,  too,  fell  asleep.  When  all  of  a  sudden 
I  hearn  steps  runnin'  round  and  excited  talk  goin*  on  be- 
low, my  first  thought  wuz  of  burglars,  but  as  the  excite- 
ment seemed  to  increase  I  thought  of  a  conflagration  and 
rousted  up  my  companion,  and  sez: 

"  Sunthin'  is  the  matter,  Josiah  Allen,  you  will  have 
to  git  up  and  see  about  it." 

"  Which  is  it  to-night,  Samantha,"  sez  he,,Jn  a  sar- 
castick  axent  that  I  despise,  "  is  it  a  mouse  or  a  burg- 
lar? " 

I  looked  witherin'  at  him,  and  he  sez,  "  I  merely 
asked  you  so  I  should  know  how  to  prepare  to  meet  the 
foe,  with  a  mouse  trap  or  a  sord." 

I  deny  that  I  git  him  up  very  often  to  tend  to  such 
things,  not  oftener  than  once  in  a  while,  not  oftener  than 
the  common  run  of  wimmen  do.  But  the  excitement  con- 
tinued to  rain,  and  finally  he  hearn  it  rain  himself,  and 
he  sez: 

"  Well,  I  guess  there  is  sunthin'  the  matter." 

And  jest  then  we  hearn  a  rap  on  our  door,  and  Jo- 
siah sez,  "  Who  is  there?  What  is  the  matter?  " 


316  Samantha  on  Children's  Rigths 

And  a  voice  answered,  "  Jack  and  Mary  can't  be 
found!  " 

And  I  riz  right  up  and  dressed  me,  and  so  did  Josiah, 
I  forebodin'  all  the  time,  a  shadder  of  the  great  On- 
known  seemin'  to  fall  over  my  mind  and  heart,  as  if  pre- 
parin'  me  for  what  wuz  to  come. 

When  we  got  downstairs  Tamer  wuz  in  highstericks, 
and  Celestine,  forgittin'  her  art,  wuz  rushin'  round  to 
and  fro  with  a  white  wrapper  on  and  a  whiter  face, 
callin'  on  little  Mary  in  axents  so  pitiful  it  almost 
seemed  it  would  roust  up  a  dead  baby,  let  alone  a  lovin', 
livin'  child.  Where  wuz  them  strange  animals  in  that 
hour?  They  had  walked  clean  away  and  left  her  in 
agony  and  despair.  She  seemed  to  know  from  the  first 
on't  that  sunthin'  dretful  had  happened,  and  so  did 
Tamer.  There  are  awful  secrets  that  mothers  learn 
down  in  the  Valley  of  Death  where  they  go  to  claim  their 
babies,  they  learn  things  there  and  keep  'em  in  their 
inmost  nater,  so  clost  that  art  or  literatoor,  however 
lurid,  can't  dislodge  'em.  They  felt  what  they  couldn't 
explain,  hence  the  highstericks,  shriekin',  etc. 

Hamen  and  John,  though  lookin'  dretful  troubled,  kep' 
on  sayin'  they  wuz  hid  somewhere,  they  would  be  found, 
all  right,  they  wuz  safe,  but  goin'  round  at  a  good  jog, 
nevertheless,  tryin'  to  find  'em.  But  it  wuz  my  own 
pardner  and  myself  that  found  them  babies.  Alas,  for 
the  awful  sight!  alas,  for  the  woeful  sight!  Yes,  we 
found  'em. 

There  wuz  a  certain  place  quite  a  good  ways  from  the 
house  where  I  knew  the  children  often  went  to  play  at 
keepin'  house.  An  old  gnarled  willow  tree  hung  over 
the  water,  and  in  its  crooked  trunk  wuz  a  holler  place 
where  they  kep'  their  little  dishes  and  things,  and  one 


Samantha  on  Children's  Rigths  317 

or  two  old  dolls  for  children.  Sunthin'  told  me  to  look 
there,  and,  follered  by  my  faithful  pardner,  I  went  to 
the  little  holler  jest  out  of  sight  of  the  house. 

And  there,  with  the  moonlight  fallin'  as  sorrowful  as 
if  some  weepin'  angel  of  compassion  wuz  holdin'  down 
a  lantern  to  light  us  in  our  search,  we  found  'em. 

Jack  had  held  up  little  Mary  till  his  arms  had  fairly 
froze  into  that  poster  of  heroism,  so  she  hadn't  been  in 
the  water  nigh  so  long.  We  knew  he  had  tried  to  save 
her  till  his  strength  gin  way  and  his  faithful  little  arms 
could  no  longer  do  the  biddin'  of  his  generous,  lovin* 
heart.  Little  hero!  Many  a  man  standin'  up  above  the 
multitude  on  top  of  a  monument  did  not  die  half  so 
glorious  a  death  as  you  did. 

And,  whether  Jack  went  in  after  Mary  to  save  her  or 
whether  he,  too,  believed  the  story  of  the  shinin'  play- 
grounds (alas!  alas!  confirmed  by  me  onbeknown  to  my- 
self) and  sot  out  for  'em  with  her,  we  shall  never  know. 
All  she  could  remember,  sweet  little  soul!  wuz  that  she 
sot  out  to  go  to  them  happy  playgrounds  and  sunk 
down,  down  into  blackness  and  night. 

But  for  half  an  hour  little  Mary's  soul  wuz  gone 
away,  I  wonder  where  it  wuz,  anyway,  it  wuzn't  here. 
No,  her  white,  cold  body  didn't  have  any  tenant  in  it, 
no  sign  of  one,  there  wuz  no  fire  in  it,  the  light  wuz 
blowed  out,  she  wuz  gone. 

The  sweet  little  soul  had  gone  away  visitin',  and  I 
would  give— oh!  I  don't  know  what  I  wouldn't  give  to 
know  where  it  had  gone.  It  couldn't  be  the  Great  Home 
we  move  into  when  our  life  lease  ends  here  on  our 
earthly  property.  No,  for  when  we  once  move  out  of 
this  earthly  body  we  don't  move  back  into  it  agin,  that 
is  one  of  the  conditions  of  the  transfer.  No,  it  wuzn't 


318  Samantha  on  Children's  Rigths 

there,  and  where  then  wuz  it?  I  don't  know,  nor  Jo- 
siah  don't.  But  after  a  long,  long  time  it  come  back 
slowly,  lingerin'ly,  as  if  it  hated  to  come. 

Celestine  hung  over  her  with  a  look  on  her  face  that 
made  me  believe  that  if  she  ever  did  come  back  she 
would  come  into  a  new  world  where  love  and  care  rained 
instead  of  art  exclusively.  Yes,  she  come  back  agin, 
but  Jack,  dear  little  boy,  he  had  gone  away  for  good. 
Yes,  I  say  that  word  a-purpose,  he  had  gone  for  good, 
good  for  him,  but  for  them  who  loved  him  so,  what 
shall  we  say? 

I  wonder  if  he  wuz  permitted  to  look  forward  and  see 
what  wuz  to  be  in  the  future;  Tamer  and  Hamen  brung 
together  by  the  awful  hand  of  Grief  and  mutual  remorse, 
Hamen  a  different,  more  Christian  man.  Tamer's  icy, 
cold  mean  broke  up  and  pulverized  by  the  hand  of  Grief, 
the  flood  of  awakened  remorse  sweepin'  away  on  its  cur- 
rent old  foolish  ambitions,  pride  and  self-will.  Anna 
left  free  to  marry  the  man  of  her  choice,  Tamer  and 
Hamen  rousted  up  to  good  deeds  and  the  performance 
of  duty,  so  layin'  up  a  store  of  blessed  remembrances  to 
replace  the  old  wretched  ones.  Cicero  comin'  home  re- 
pentant to  begin  a  new  life  under  the  guardianship  of  a 
new  father  and  mother,  all  this  and  more. 

But  yet,  oh,  my  poor  Jack!  that  your  dear  little  ice 
cold  form  wuz  to  be  the  centre  from  which  such  blessed 
events  should  flow  out  I  Icy  cold  forehead  with  the 
brown  curls  layin'  on  it  like  gleams  of  gold,  not  warmin' 
it  up  any;  roses  heaped  in  the  tiny  cold  fingers  that  did 
not  close  on  what  they  loved  so;  tears  falling  on  the 
sweet  face  onnoticed  and  in  vain. 

Good-by,  dear  little  Jack— good-byl 


A  FEW  FROM  HUNDREDS  OF  PRESS  NOTICES  OF 

Around  the  World  with  Josiah 
Allen's  Wife 

By  MARIETTA    HOLLEY 


"  The  persons  who  do  not  love  quaint  Josiah  Allen's  wife  have  something  serious 
the  matter  with  them.  A  more  original  and  delightful  character  does  not  exist.  The 
homely  old  philosopher,  with  her  rugged  sense,  her  quick  wit,  her  unfailing  humor,  and 
her  lively  faculty  of  observation,  will  make  her  old  friends  more  steadfast  than  ever 
and  gain  a  host  of  new  ones,  by  her  latest  adventures.  It  is  a  rare  privilege  to  read  a 
book  which  combines  so  happily  the  qualities  of  being  both  amusing  and  wholesome." 

— Albany  Times-  Union. 

"The  author  besides  having  a  marked  talent  for  humor,  possesses  an  effective 
capacity  for  pathos,  and  this  book,  besides  being  excellent  fiction,  is  an  instructive  geo- 
graphical excursion." — New  York  Evening  Telegram. 

"  Josiah  Allen's  wife  is  a  familiar  character  in  households  all  over  this  broad  land. 
Her  doings  in  the  past  have  been  so  closely  watched  that  she  has  secured  a  place  at 
the  family  hearth,  which  cannot  be  shaken.  Her  doings  have  been  related  and  read 
aloud  in  the  family  circle  and  when  '  the  end '  was  reached  there  has  ever  been  a  sigh  of 
regret." — Albany  Evening  News. 

"  A  good  many  readers  are  acquainted  with  Josiah  Allen's  wife  and  have  laughed 
with  her  as  she  philosophizes  her  smiling  way  about  this  country.  In  this  last  book 
Josiah  Allen's  wife  extends  her  territory  and  broadens  her  views  as  she  coven  the 
ground. " — Seattle  Post-Intelligencer. 

"True  pathos,  as  well,  is  not  lacking  in  Samantha's  reflections  upon  what  she 
sees  and  hears  that  is  sad,  and  her  true  insight  into  the  springs  of  human  action  is 
often  expressed  in  kindly  and  humorous  ridicule." — Milwaukee  Evening  Wisconsin. 

"  Pathetic  and  humorous  incidents  tumbling  over  each  other  in  rapid  succession  is 
the  best  the  author  has  given  to  the  public." — St.  Louis  Mirror. 

"  Samantha  has  had  her  admirers  these  many  years.  Her  humor  has  caught  the 
fancy  of  the  people  far  and  wide,  while  they  have  been  moved  by  her  pathos  at  times. 
Samantha  in  this  book  is  as  wise  and  witty  in  her  own  shrewd  way  as  ever.  She  is 
entirely  an  American  character  and  one  needs  only  to  know  her  to  appreciate  her." 

—Philadelphia  Press. 

"  Provides  you  with  a  view  of  the  universe  through  homely  spectacles,  and  stands 
by  the  while  uttering  good  housewifely  philosophies  calculated  to  make  you  laugh." 

— St.  Louis  Republic. 

'•Those  who  have  enjoyed  the  discursive  descriptions  of  Samantha's  experiences 
at  the  great  expositions  and  under  other  and  varied  circumstances,  will  without  doubt 
also  enjoy  this  new  book,  '  Around  the  World  with  Josiah  Allen's  Wife.'" 

—New  York  Tribune. 

"  The  best  of  her  books." — Albany  Press. 

"  One  of  the  'classics'  of  literary  comedy." — Toledo  Blade. 


A  large,  handsome  Volume,  profusely  illustrated  and  beautifully 
bound  in  cloth.     Price.  $1.50 


G.  W.  DILLINGH AM  CO  ,  Publishers,  NEW  YORK 


UC  SOUTHERN  REG  ONAL   I  "A  Y   AC  UTY 


AA    000485644    9 


